Batteries vs. Blackouts: 1,100 Homes Powered Through Vermont Outage With Storage
Utility Green Mountain Power’s pilot programs paid off with clean, distributed backup power amid a statewide outage.
Home batteries proved their resilience value during Vermont's Halloween blackout.
A major rain and wind storm struck the state at the close of October, knocking out power to some 115,000 customers. Among those affected, 1,100 homes managed to keep the lights on thanks to pilot programs specifically designed to promote resilient backup power with energy storage. The battery backup service lasted nine hours on average, but the longest instance stretched to 82 hours.
The event offers a timely data point for other jurisdictions mulling the use of home batteries for resilience.
