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Home › Other Energy Applications ›FirstLight Power, Fermata Energy, and Skyview Ventures Partner to Launch First Ever Vehicle-to-Grid Charging Platform in Western Massachusetts

FirstLight Power, Fermata Energy, and Skyview Ventures Partner to Launch First Ever Vehicle-to-Grid Charging Platform in Western Massachusetts

September 09, 2022. By News Bureau

FirstLight Power, Fermata Energy, Skyview Ventures, State Representative Susannah M. Whipps (2nd Franklin), and other elected and appointed officials celebrated a clean energy milestone – the installation of the first ever vehicle-to-grid (V2G) bidirectional charging stations in Western Massachusetts.

Located in the visitor parking lot outside of FirstLight’s Northfield Mountain Pumped Hydro Storage Station, the installation also includes two separate, single-directional public EV charging stations.

The V2G installation, the first at a U.S. hydroelectric power facility, includes two bidirectional chargers, controlled by Fermata Energy’s proprietary software platform, that can both charge EVs and send energy stored in the EV batteries to the grid.

The FirstLight operations team, which drives two leased Nissan LEAFs, has the option to discharge some of the energy stored in the EV batteries to the grid when it is needed most, such as during peak demand times caused by heat waves and other extreme weather events, which also reduces the system’s demand for fossil fuels.

The Fermata Energy bidirectional charging system also supports the region’s clean energy transition by enabling EV fleet owners to store and discharge energy generated from intermittent renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.

“We are pleased to collaborate with Fermata Energy, Skyview Ventures, and Eversource to complete the successful installation of these V2G charging stations, which reflect our commitment to embrace new technologies and solutions to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future,” said Alicia Barton, President and CEO of FirstLight.

“As Massachusetts charts a path to net zero, we need bold thinking and collaboration across the public and private sectors that leverage proven clean energy solutions and new emerging clean energy technologies,” said MassCEC CEO Jen Daloisio.

“We applaud FirstLight for their vision for a clean energy future and for being the first to bring this innovative technology to Western Massachusetts,” said David Slutzky, Founder and CEO of Fermata Energy.

“The opportunity for bidirectional charging is enormous,” said Andy Karetsky, President and Founder of Skyview Ventures. “FirstLight’s adoption of this technology at one of its marquee sites should be a signal to the market about the value of flexible, distributed energy assets and the evolution of America’s energy systems.”

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