Commercial battery storage in Maryland, after the tax credit.
Maryland's storage tax credit ended for systems installed after 2024, and its successor is a small annual grant that was fully subscribed in FY2026. What is left is a PJM market with capacity at the cap, a transmission tag worth about $57 per kW-year in BGE territory, and demand charges that are modest by Northeast standards but frozen through 2026 with a rate case pending. Maryland pencils on the federal credit and PJM, with the grant as upside.
Utilities KEEL prices in Maryland
KEEL's Maryland tariff work is in Baltimore Gas & Electric territory. Pepco (Montgomery and Prince George's counties), Delmarva and Potomac Edison accounts are screened from the bill on request.
| Utility | Rate classes | Demand charge as read | What it means for a battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| BGE | Schedule GL, secondary / primary | $5.52 / $5.30 per kW-month distribution | Distribution demand is billed on the all-hours 30-minute monthly maximum, so the battery has to cover the true peak, not just the afternoon. |
| BGE | Schedule P | $3.99 per kW-month distribution | Larger accounts. Lower distribution rate; the case leans on transmission and PJM tags. |
| BGE | GL / P / T, default (SOS) supply | Plus $5.78 per kW transmission, billed on peak-period demand (June 2026) | A separate line on top of distribution. Different billing basis: peak hours only. Modeled on its own series. |
Rates as read from the filed tariffs in August 2026. Utilities re-file often; KEEL re-reads the effective sheet on the day a project is priced.
What a battery earns in Maryland
Two demand charges, two billing bases
BGE bills distribution on the all-hours monthly max and transmission on the peak-period max. A battery that only shaves on-peak may leave the distribution line untouched. KEEL dispatches against both series.
PJM capacity and transmission tags
Capacity cleared at the cap for 2027/28; BGE's network transmission charge is about $57 per kW-year on the account's transmission tag. On competitive supply with pass-through, discharging in the peak hours that set the tags lowers next year's charges.
Rates frozen, rate case filed
BGE's rates are frozen through 2026 and a $156 million rate case was filed in July 2026 for a decision in early 2027. The direction is up; the lease payment is fixed.
State and utility programs
Maryland replaced its storage tax credit with a grant program that has been small and heavily oversubscribed. KEEL treats it as upside.
| Program | What it pays | Who can claim it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal investment tax credit (§48E) | 30%+ of eligible cost: a 30% base (prevailing-wage rules apply at 1 MW and above) plus a 10-point adder for domestic content | The owner of the equipment; nonprofits and public bodies by direct pay | See the federal guide. |
| Maryland Energy Administration commercial energy storage grant | Lesser of 30% of cost or $150,000 per commercial project | Commercial systems including third-party-owned ones; the program defines an eligible third-party owner and can pay that owner directly | FY2026 budget was $2 million and closed fully subscribed in June 2026. FY2027 not confirmed open as of August 2026. Applied for; not underwritten. |
| Maryland energy storage income tax credit | Expired | — | Not claimable for systems installed after December 31, 2024. |
| Net metering (solar) | Up to 2 MW per system; third-party-owned generation permitted | Solar and other listed generation | Storage is not an eligible net-metering technology on its own. Relevant only where solar is in the project. |
| PJM capacity and transmission tag management | Avoided capacity and network-transmission charges on the account's tags | Accounts on competitive supply with pass-through, or on default service billed on their own tag | On a fixed all-in supply contract the supplier keeps the saving. KEEL checks the supply contract first. |
| BGE commercial demand response | None | — | BGE runs residential demand response only. PJM demand response through a curtailment service provider is the only path, and it cannot be combined with capacity-tag avoidance on the same kW. |
Read from program documents and filed tariffs in August 2026. Programs open, fill and change; KEEL confirms each line against the live source before it goes in a proposal. The federal credit applies in every state on top of what is listed here, subject to the conditions in that guide.
What to watch in Maryland
- The MEA grant opens once a year with a small budget and closed in 2026 with 100% of it requested. A proposal that depends on it is a proposal that may not close.
- BGE's distribution and transmission demand charges use different billing windows. The savings model runs both, and the battery is sized to the one that binds.
- Maryland's statewide net-metering cap is close to being reached, which affects paired solar, not storage on its own.
- BGE's pending rate case is expected to be decided in January 2027. The lease payment does not move with it; the savings do.
How KEEL prices a Maryland project: model the all-hours distribution peak and the peak-period transmission demand as two separate series and dispatch against both, add PJM tag management only where the supply contract shows pass-through, and value BGE demand response at zero. The MEA grant is applied for on the owner's behalf when its window opens and shown as upside, never as a line the monthly payment depends on.
What to send
Twelve months of electric bills for the meter you have in mind (interval data if you have it), the service address and the rate class printed on the bill. That is enough for a first read on demand charges, program eligibility and a monthly payment range. See Lease vs. Buy for how the numbers land under each structure, or schedule a property review.
Common questions
Is there a Maryland incentive for commercial battery storage?
The state tax credit expired for systems installed after 2024. Its successor, a Maryland Energy Administration grant of up to 30% or $150,000 per commercial project, had a $2 million budget in FY2026 and closed fully subscribed. Third-party-owned systems qualify. KEEL applies when the window is open and prices the project without it.
Which Maryland accounts pencil best?
Larger BGE accounts on competitive supply where PJM capacity and transmission tags are passed through, with a peaky load in both the all-hours and peak-period windows. The federal credit carries the rest.
Does KEEL price Pepco Maryland accounts?
Yes, from the bill. KEEL's published Maryland tariff work is BGE; Pepco, Delmarva and Potomac Edison accounts are screened on request using the same method.
Have a Maryland building in mind?
Send the address and a bill. KEEL returns the demand-charge read, the program lines the site qualifies for and a monthly payment range, with the source for each.