Paxton Municipal Light Department, Lightshift Energy, and MMWEC Unveil Battery Storage Project at Paxton’s Substation

PAXTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 8, 2024--

Paxton Municipal Light Department (PMLD) and Lightshift Energy, a leading energy storage project developer, owner and operator, on Thursday hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the battery storage project in Paxton, Massachusetts, which will bolster the grid for PMLD and its customers. Part of a first-of-a-kind program to deploy battery storage for Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC)’s municipal utilities, the energy storage project will reduce grid load during peak events, saving PMLD up to $10 million in energy costs and lessening the Commonwealth’s reliance on fossil fuels.

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Solidifying Massachusetts as a leader in the nation's clean energy deployment, representatives from across the state, including State Senator Peter Durant and Chair of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, James Van Nostrand, participated in the press conference. The speakers celebrated how this 3 megawatt (MW)/9 megawatt-hour (MWh) battery storage project is a testament to the state’s growing stake in the clean energy economy and its broader commitment to bringing cleaner solutions to all communities.

“For smaller utilities such as Paxton Municipal Light Department, early adoption of new technologies can be cost prohibitive,” said Tara Rondeau, General Manager at PMLD. “Thanks to MMWEC’s efforts in establishing a partnership with Lightshift, PMLD is able to utilize battery storage. This will help offset rising capacity and transmission costs for our ratepayers while focusing on cleaner solutions.”

A small community nestled outside of Worcester, Paxton is one of the first municipal utilities to participate in the partnership between Lightshift and MMWEC to deploy a fleet of energy storage projects across the state. First announced in May 2024, the program is expected to provide more than $200 million in energy savings across MMWEC’s municipal utilities, while bringing grid resilience to communities and helping the state meet its ambitious renewable energy goals.

“Anytime we can combine savings for our local communities with the possibility of cleaner energy, that’s a win,” said State Sen. Peter Durant, R-Spencer. “Projects like this are often too expensive for smaller communities, so we appreciate partnerships like the one between Paxton Municipal Light Department and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company that make it possible for those towns to acquire newer technology.”

“Paxton is an excellent example of how smaller communities can have a large impact on the clean energy ecosystem, all while providing significant electricity bill savings to ratepayers,” said Lightshift Co-Founder and Managing Partner Rory Jones. “Grid demand is rapidly straining local energy resilience, and this project will serve as an economic and energy anchor for Paxton. We’re encouraged to see municipal utilities across the state continue to bolster grid reliability while contributing to a clean energy future.”

About Lightshift Energy

Lightshift Energy is a utility-scale energy storage project developer, owner and operator headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. Founded in 2019, Lightshift is developing a diverse, multi-gigawatt pipeline of energy storage projects, located throughout the U.S. With leading energy storage analytics, application design, finance, and development expertise, Lightshift deploys dynamic, multi-use energy storage projects that maximize value for utilities and other partners, while reinvesting directly into the communities where their projects are located. For more information, please visit www.lightshift.com.

About Paxton Municipal Light Department

Paxton Municipal Light Department (PMLD) was established in 1914 and serves just under 2,000 customers in Paxton, Massachusetts. As one of 40 municipal utilities in Massachusetts, PMLD is owned by the community it serves. It prides itself on providing safe, reliable and superior service at the lowest cost.

About the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC)

MMWEC is the Commonwealth’s designated joint action agency for municipal utilities in Massachusetts. Through its enabling state legislation, Chapter 775 of the Acts of 1975, MMWEC became a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. MMWEC’s enabling legislation gave it the unique power to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance electric generating facilities and other projects. Using this statutory authority, MMWEC has issued more than $7 billion in bonds since 1976. It is the largest provider of asset-owned generation for municipal light departments in New England.

Massachusetts representatives and electeds join MMWEC and Lightshift Energy executives to unveil Paxton, MA’s new battery storage project. (Credit: Nicole Gaffney, UFO Originals)

NEW YORK (AP) — A championship window seemed to be closing when the Boston Celtics left Madison Square Garden earlier this week.

Jayson Tatum had just been carried off the court with a season-ending injury minutes before the Celtics were pushed to the brink of elimination. The players were decidedly down.

The defending NBA champions are certainly not out.

They return to New York on Friday night for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, believing they can extend the series and the Knicks' 25-year wait to get back to the conference finals.

“It’s win or go home at this moment, so none of us want to go home and so we understand it’s only going to get tougher,” Celtics guard Derrick White said. “We haven’t done anything yet. Just got to find a way to go to New York and win a game.”

Only 13 teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Celtics are trying to do it without their leading scorer, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon late in the Knicks' 121-113 victory in Game 4.

“I know it’s kind of easy to write things off. Obviously unfortunate what happened to JT. But we’ve still got basketball to be played,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown said. “I believe in this group, so don’t count us out just yet.”

The Celtics rolled to a 127-102 victory on Wednesday and have led by at least 14 points in the second half of all five games. The Knicks rallied to win three of them, but the starters know they can't keep putting the team into a hole.

“We need to be better,” Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson said. “Flat out.”

A victory would send the Knicks into the conference finals for the first time since they lost to the Indiana Pacers in 2000. The Pacers would be the opponent again, having eliminated top-seeded Cleveland, in a series that would begin Wednesday in New York.

If the Celtics win, Game 7 would be in Boston on Monday, with the winner getting just one day of rest before hosting the Pacers.

White scored 34 points in Game 5 and is 13 for 24 from 3-point range in the last two games. Brown comes off 26 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds and has scored at least 19 points in all five games, a reminder that the Celtics go far beyond Tatum.

“They’re defending champions," Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said. "So obviously losing Tatum is a big blow for their team, but we know they’re more than capable of beating anyone on any night.”

When/where to watch: Game 6, 8 p.m. EDT (ESPN).

Series: Knicks lead 3-2.

BetMGM Sportsbook: Knicks by 2.5.

What to know: The Knicks have not won a series on their home floor since the 1999 Eastern Conference finals. They failed in their lone chance this year, when they lost to Detroit in Game 5 of their first-round series. As starting center Kristaps Porzingis struggles to stay on the floor because of lingering effects of a virus that saps his energy, the Celtics may have found another option in Game 5. Luke Kornet — like Porzingis a former Knicks big man — came off the bench and had 10 points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots. He provided the kind of boost the Knicks need from Towns, their All-Star who battled foul trouble and has made just two 3-pointers in the series. The Celtics, who won a league-high 33 road games during the regular season, are 3-1 at Madison Square Garden this season.

This story has been corrected to show that the Knicks are favored by 2.5 points. A previous version reported incorrectly that the Celtics were favored.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Cameron Payne (1) during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, right, during the first half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet (40) dunks against New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half of Game 5 of an NBA basketball second-round playoff series, Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)