Trina Storage installs first North American grid-scale energy storage sites

Trina Solar’s storage business has installed four battery energy storage systems across three towns in the US state of Massachusetts to mark its debut in the North American market.

Trina said the sites have been installed in the towns of Groton, Holden, and Paxton and said two of them were built ahead of schedule, helping the grid cope with a record-breaking heatwave that struck the US Northeast in June 2024.

The Chinese manufacturer said its energy storage sites would generate savings for electricity users via the use of peak shaving – charging batteries when electricity is cheap to discharge during more expensive peak periods. Trina Storage said its projects would also offer grid electricity frequency regulation, “blackstart” capability, islanded operations, and microgrid functionality to all benefit local electricity grids.

The sites were installed as part of a tender secured by Arlington, Virginia-based developer Lightshift Energy. State utility body Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) has commissioned Lightshift to install up to 50 MW of battery systems during 2024 and 2025.

Groton, Paxton, and Holden are among the first wave with late-stage development facilities in Peabody, Shrewsbury, Wakefield, Chicopee, Ipswich, and Princeton, according to Lightshift. Mid-stage development is underway for batteries “in several other communities” in Massachusetts, Lightshift announced on May 2, 2024.

It is not clear whether Trina Storage will supply battery storage systems for any of the sites beyond Groton, Holden, and Paxton.