RMLD Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Equipment to 'Shred the Peak'

A release from the Reading Municipal Light Department:

The Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) held a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, Aug. 17, to commemorate the completion of a new distributed generator located at its North Reading substation. The
unit is powered by natural gas and has the capacity to produce 2.5 megawatts of electricity to support "shredding the peak.”

The new generator was installed to reduce peak demand, and is expected to help lower future transmission and capacity costs related to the purchase of wholesale electricity. Transmission and capacity costs are determined by our total system load during critical peak times when the electrical grid is most stressed, typically during the summer from 2-7 pm. Based on current transmission and capacity costs, the savings for this year is estimated at $200,000-$400,000; these cost savings are a direct benefit to RMLD customers.

This unit is a form of distributed generation, which is technology that generates electricity near where it is used. RMLD’s Solar Choice program is another example of distributed generation technology within RMLD’s service area.

RMLD’s ongoing Shred the Peak education program, which launched in 2016, is another initiative to address rising wholesale costs related to peak usage. The program seeks to educate customers about how peaks impact future costs, and encourages customers to conserve electricity when peaks are predicted. RMLD communicates peak predictions through Shred the Peak Alerts sent out via email and Twitter.

RMLD would like to recognize and thank the following parties for their contribution to and support of the Distributed Generator Project: The Town of North Reading; Tim Zanelli Excavating, general contractor; Milton CAT, generator manufacturer; PLM Electric Power Engineering Consultants; Rubin and Rudman, Attorneys at Law; National Grid, natural gas supplier; Bay State Piping Company, Inc., contractor; TRI-MONT Engineering Co.; and Epsilon Associates, environmental consultants.

Photo courtesy RMLD