Lowell Accepts $2.5M Grant for Water Utility Climate Resiliency
The city of Lowell has accepted a $2.5 million grant from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. This funding, part of the Advancing Massachusetts Power Energy Storage Grant program, will be used to enhance climate and storm resiliency at the Lowell Water Treatment Facility on Pawtucket Boulevard. The grant will enable the city to acquire a large industrial battery capable of powering essential systems at the Water Utility for approximately eight hours during a power outage. This new battery system, which can provide up to 469 kilowatts of power from a 4,514 kilowatt-hour energy storage unit, will also be able to recharge itself using the facility's existing solar panel array. Mayor Erik Gitschier noted that the solar array has already saved the city over $300,000 in utility costs by producing more than 6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. Energy Resources Commissioner Elizabeth Mahony highlighted that the clean energy stored by the battery system will also reduce monthly energy costs and ge...
