Massachusetts awards more than $40 million for energy storage projects
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has awarded more than $40 million to a group of 36 energy projects across the state, officials from the department announced Sept. 18.
Delivered through the DOER’s Advancing Massachusetts Power Energy Storage Grant Program, the funding aims to bolster the Bay State’s grid through distributed energy resources. Specifically, the 36 projects all focus on one or more of three focus areas: Community Resilience, Safety and Education, and Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES).
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey says the projects cover a variety of community infrastructure and local businesses, including affordable housing, schools, community centers, and public works facilities.
“This is about lowering energy costs and keeping the lights on when communities need it most,” she says. “These investments will help schools, affordable housing, community centers and other critical facilities stay powered during outages while strengthening our grid for the future. We’re also making sure first responders and local officials have the training and tools they need as more energy storage comes online across Massachusetts.”
Bolstering community resilience
As extreme weather events continue to rise due to climate factors, and area-wide brownouts and blackouts become commonplace across parts of the U.S., community energy resilience is a top priority.
A sizable piece of the $40 million in grant money will go toward these efforts, as Massachusetts aims to install battery storage in schools, as well as affordable housing developments and community centers. Together, the projects will add about 10 MW / 44 MWh of storage across the state.
“Communities need reliable power and the confidence that new energy technologies are being deployed safely,” says Massachusetts Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll. “These grants will help cities and towns strengthen critical infrastructure, prepare first responders and local officials, and take advantage of storage technology that can save money and improve resilience.”
A safe, educated state for installations
Paired energy storage has gone from “nice to have” to “absolute necessity” for the solar project world in record time. Another piece of the Bay State’s new grant money will support first responders, as well as municipal officials, electricians, and other installation contractors.
The grant funding, going to sites like the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Boston Fire Department, will train officials on battery safety, fire codes, permitting, inspections, and other crucial areas.
“Batteries supplied more electricity to the grid in the first eight months of 2026 than in all of 2025 – we’re bringing that momentum to the Massachusetts communities that need it the most,” says Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “We are also excited to be supporting two innovative zinc- and sodium-based storage systems to help us get through major storms, showing that Massachusetts is a great place to deploy and scale the latest tech.”
Pushing innovation forward for the Northeast
Long-duration energy storage ties into the first priority for Massachusetts with this particular grant fund: community resilience. LDES projects are on the rise in the Northeast at large, and this grant section will support a duo of sites using sodium-iron chloride and zinc-based technologies, officials say.
These projects could potentially store electricity for 10 to 20 hours, representatives add. The grants, going to community businesses like the Berkshire East Mountain Resort and Mystic Place Apartments, can also help companies scale and test innovative LDES technologies throughout the state.
“This investment recognizes that emerging energy technologies require a coordinated public-safety response,” says Tracy Rogers, director of emergency management for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments in western Massachusetts. “By providing specialized battery energy storage system training to first responders across the region, this grant will build shared knowledge, improve preparedness, and help protect the people who respond when communities need them most.”
