Powering NYC’s Clean-Energy Future
Battery Energy Storage — Build for New York
Your Questions, Answered
Everything You Need to Know About Battery Energy Storage
Here are the questions we hear most — answered plainly and honestly.
Why are batteries the future of energy?
The path to modernization and full electrification of New York's power system runs directly through energy storage. The grid must carry more power, more flexibly than ever before.
Before batteries, the grid required the perfect balancing of power supply and consumption which caused overbuilding the network and the system to supply it. Batteries allow the grid to "flex" in real time, storing excess energy when supply is high and releasing it when demand peaks. This allows for a more efficient grid which is more resilient, will require fewer upgrades and will allow for the full integration of intermittent supply from solar and wind resources.
Where does the energy come from to charge the batteries?
Our batteries charge directly from the Con Edison grid — the same grid that powers every home and business in New York City. In practice, that means drawing power overnight, when fossil-fuel peaker plants are idle and the grid is dominated by clean baseload sources like upstate hydropower. That stored energy is then dispatched back into the local distribution network during the day, when demand is highest.
As New York State continues to add offshore wind, solar, and other renewables, our facilities store that energy locally and release it where it's needed most. The cleaner New York's grid becomes, the cleaner our storage becomes — making MGN's facilities an increasingly powerful tool for decarbonization over time, without any change to the facilities themselves.
Why build small, distributed plants rather than one large facility?
The NYC grid is not one grid - it is a network of 70 distribution grids each of which serves a specific neighborhood. 85% of the grid in New York is underground which makes it reliable but expensive to upgrade.
In such a network the best place to locate energy storage is at the edge of the network as close to the load customers as possible because it makes everything upstream of it more efficient and thus reduces the need for upgrades. A NYSERDA study concluded that facilities like ours will save New Yorkers more than $2 billion in unnecessary grid upgrade costs by making the grid we already paid for more efficient.
Is the technology safe?
MGN deployed the first two Energy Storage facilities built to Con Edison's EO-2022 interconnection standard that serve directly the ConEd Mech Network — one of the most rigorous utility safety certifications in the country — and has been operating those facilities safely since 2023.
Every facility is designed to full compliance with FDNY Fire Code FC 608, including water-based suppression systems, deflagration-rated enclosures, established setbacks, and approved Emergency Management Plans developed in coordination with fire department personnel. They are monitored 24/7 for problems and are inspected by the FDNY annually.
Why is it especially important to install batteries in NYC?
New York City is the most dense and complex coastal economy and energy market in North America. That city and state are taking vigorous action to prepare for more frequent and intense weather and events as well as the increase in electricity use from data centers, AI, EVs, and the electrification of heat. These factors increase the risk to the grid.
MGN's energy facilities directly address these risks, increase the resilience and value of the real estate where they are located, and create a new foundation for economic growth and competitive advantage in the city. The NYC grid is one of the oldest and most congested in the country — batteries are the only way to carry more power, more flexibly, without tearing up streets to lay new infrastructure.
What’s in it for me?
Whether you live, work, or own property in New York City, MGN's facilities benefit you directly. For all New Yorkers, distributed storage relieves pressure on the grid, reduces the need for costly infrastructure upgrades, and helps drive down energy costs over time.
These facilities also reduce the need for gas peaker plants which emit pollution which has been shown to be dangerous to surrounding neighbors. That's not an abstraction. It's a measurable improvement in air quality, grid reliability, and long-term economic opportunity for the people who call this city home.
For property owners who host our facilities, it means increased real estate value and a new, long-term source of lease income — on parcels that might otherwise sit underutilized.
