Our team has over 100 years of combined experience working for and with electric utilities.
Convergent is the most dependable provider of energy storage solutions in North America. Since 2011, we’ve built projects for and with utilities across the country and have a wealth of knowledge to help our partners achieve successful outcomes.
About Energy Storage
Energy storage allows power to be deployed at more strategic times, insulating utilities against rising wholesale demand and energy costs. The most common form of energy storage today is lithium-ion-based battery storage, which comprises over 90% of large-scale battery storage systems in the United States. The cost of batteries has dropped 80% in the past decade, largely due to the proliferation of electric vehicles, contributing to the increasing adoption of storage, particularly in front-of-the-meter applications.
In the U.S., a record 1.2 GW of storage was installed in 2020, a number that would surely have been higher were it not for the impact of COVID-19. WoodMac forecasts that utility-scale energy storage solutions will grow by 7.5x between now and 2026, equating to over 100 GWs of new projects in the next five years in the United States alone. These projects will address the largest challenges facing the electricity grid.
There are many applications for battery storage beyond cost reduction: battery storage increases capacity, improves reliability, supports renewables integration and defers transmission upgrades. Because of its versatility and ability to solve many challenges faced by utilities, battery storage is often referred to as the “swiss army knife” of grid solutions.
”When I joined Convergent almost a decade ago, energy storage was a new tool for system planners. Today, it is an essential and cost-effective way to reduce wholesale demand and energy costs while improving system resilience and reliability.
Jim TarpeyProject Executive
Utility Customer Testimonials
”We have traditionally connected to load customers or generators, but batteries were a new area [for us]. The Convergent team was a really great group to work with. Any time we needed technical expertise they were able to get the right people and get all the right players to the table to make a smooth and successful project.
Rob HartenManager of Engineering, PUC Services Municipal Utility of Sault Ste. Marie
Partnering with Convergent – How it Works
For the majority of our customers, Convergent finances, designs, and owns the battery on their behalf, a model referred to as a “storage capacity agreement.” For these customers, the battery system reduces costs for members or ratepayers starting on day one and requires no capital outlay.
Convergent also has flexible options for utilities who would like to invest their own capital into the projects.
Our customers have saved over $20M…and counting.
A Decade of Energy Storage Expertise
When Convergent was founded in 2011, battery storage was still a relatively new concept. Ten years later, it has been adopted on a global scale. Convergent’s decade of experience and accomplishment in a rapidly evolving sector is one of the things that sets it apart from other developers. The company is still run by its founders, who developed the first Non-Wires Alternative for utility infrastructure back in 2015 and continue to identify and develop new applications for storage.
Project Examples: Utility-Scale Energy Storage Solutions
Solar-Plus-Storage: Better Together
About half of our utility-scale projects are paired with solar PV. This allows us to charge the battery with solar energy and decrease dependence on the grid. It also increases the value and flexibility of an intermittent renewable resource. For utilities who already have solar energy, we can easily add a battery to help you and your community get the most out of it. See why solar and storage are better together.
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Is Energy Storage Right for Your Utility?
If you’ve resolved to significantly reduce wholesale demand or energy costs this year, Convergent can help. Contact us to determine the feasibility of storage on your grid and the exact savings or infrastructure solutions a battery storage system can provide for your utility.
If there is an RFP or RFI in which you’d like Convergent participate, please click here.