Commercial battery storage in Rhode Island, with the richest dispatch payment in New England.
Rhode Island Energy's ConnectedSolutions program pays $275 per kW-summer for commercial batteries in daily dispatch, the highest rate in the region, and it pays a curtailment service provider directly if the customer chooses. Demand charges on G-32 are moderate but come with a ratchet that punishes a single missed month. The rate is approved through the 2026 season and the plan for 2027 onward is being filed this fall, which is exactly the kind of fact a ten-year lease has to be priced around.
Utilities KEEL prices in Rhode Island
Rhode Island Energy serves the whole state. ConnectedSolutions eligibility is limited to three rate classes, which line up with the buildings KEEL prices.
| Utility | Rate classes | Demand charge as read | What it means for a battery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island Energy | G-32 (general service, demand) | $15.65 per kW-month: $8.08 distribution on kW above 200, plus $7.57 transmission on all kW (April 2026) | Demand is measured in peak hours only (summer weekdays 8 am–10 pm), and there is a ratchet at 75% of the highest billing demand in the prior eleven months. KEEL models the ratcheted series, not month by month. |
| Rhode Island Energy | G-02 (general service) | $15.90 per kW-month ($9.61 distribution plus $6.29 transmission) | Smaller commercial accounts; eligible for ConnectedSolutions. |
| Rhode Island Energy | C-06 | Per filed tariff | The third ConnectedSolutions-eligible class. |
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 Rhode Island
ConnectedSolutions at $275 per kW-summer
Daily Dispatch pays $275 per kW on the average kW delivered across up to 60 events, 3–8 pm, June through September. Realized 2025 performance across the program was 71% of enrolled capacity, and KEEL prices at a realistic capture, not at nameplate.
Demand charges with a ratchet
G-32 bills up to $15.65 per kW in peak hours with a 75% ratchet. The battery's job is consistency: one missed month sets a floor for the next eleven, so dispatch reliability is worth more here than raw size.
A payee mechanism that works for a lease
Rhode Island Energy pays a curtailment service provider directly if the customer enrolls through one, and does not require or reject how the incentive is split. That is a bankable route for the incentive under a lease.
State and utility programs
Rhode Island's storage economics are built on ConnectedSolutions. The state's renewable fund adder applies only to storage paired with a new renewable project, and the statutory storage program does not appear to have been stood up as of August 2026.
| 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. |
| ConnectedSolutions Daily Dispatch (Rhode Island Energy) | $275 per kW-summer on the average kW across all events; up to 60 events of 2–3 hours, 3–8 pm, June 1–September 30, holidays included | C&I accounts on C-06, G-02 or G-32 with a behind-the-meter battery; ownership is not an eligibility criterion; technology-agnostic | Cap of $1 million per participant per year; enrollment deadline May 31. The approved rate is binding through the 2026 season; the utility's stated intention is to hold it for five seasons, subject to the 2027–2029 plan now being filed. |
| ConnectedSolutions Targeted Dispatch | $35 per kW-summer; 2–8 events | Same eligibility | For batteries that must hold capacity for the building's own peaks. |
| Renewable Energy Fund storage adder | $0.50 per watt, capped at $40,000, commercial scale | Storage co-located with a new renewable project selected for a fund grant | Storage-only projects are ineligible. Relevant only where new solar is in the project. |
| Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank storage program | Statutory mandate; no program appears to be operating as of August 2026 | — | Not a revenue source. The state's storage deployment targets are goals for the grid, not payments to a building. |
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 Rhode Island
- The 2027–2029 efficiency plan goes to the Public Utilities Commission in late 2026. Until it is approved, the ConnectedSolutions rate is contracted only through the 2026 season, and KEEL's lease is priced to survive a lower rate.
- Performance is the average across every event with no baseline adjustment; a skipped event scores zero. The program-wide realized rate in 2025 was 71%, and that is the haircut in the model.
- The G-32 ratchet turns one bad month into eleven. Dispatch reliability and a reserve for the building's own peak are designed in.
- Rhode Island's corporate income tax is a flat 7%.
How KEEL prices a Rhode Island project: run the G-32 or G-02 demand series with the ratchet applied, add ConnectedSolutions at a capture rate consistent with the program's realized performance, and stress the lease against a lower post-2026 rate so the monthly payment holds if the plan is trimmed. The incentive payee is set at enrollment and written into the lease.
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
How much does ConnectedSolutions pay a commercial battery in Rhode Island?
$275 per kW-summer for Daily Dispatch, paid on the average kW delivered across up to 60 events between 3 and 8 pm from June through September, capped at $1 million per participant per year. Targeted Dispatch pays $35 per kW-summer. The rate is approved through the 2026 season, with the 2027 onward plan being filed in late 2026.
Does a leased battery qualify?
Yes. Ownership is not an eligibility criterion, the program is technology-agnostic for commercial systems, and Rhode Island Energy will pay a curtailment service provider directly if the customer enrolls through one. Eligible rate classes are C-06, G-02 and G-32.
Is there a Rhode Island rebate for standalone storage?
No. The Renewable Energy Fund storage adder applies only to storage paired with a new renewable project it has funded, and the statutory storage program does not appear to have been launched as of August 2026. Standalone storage is priced on the federal credit, demand charges and ConnectedSolutions.
Have a Rhode Island 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.