*The contents of this blog were updated on April 22, 2026. 

For commercial developers and energy storage project owners in the Northeast, new opportunities are emerging to capture revenue and optimize system performance through advanced grid programs. Grid services in the Northeast, such as ConnectedSolutions and the Clean Peak Standard (CPS), provide financial incentives for reducing peak demand and supporting renewable energy deployment during high-demand hours. 

By participating in these programs, developers can enhance project economics while contributing to a more resilient and efficient energy grid. Energy Toolbase makes it simple to model, enroll, and participate in these programs while maximizing returns. 

With automated energy storage dispatch powered by ETB Controller and Acumen AI, solar and energy storage systems can respond to program events in real time, ensuring assets perform optimally during peak periods and deliver measurable savings. This seamless integration of modeling, monitoring, and dispatch allows developers to confidently leverage multiple value streams, simplify project management, and drive tangible financial benefits for their solar and storage projects.

ConnectedSolutions: Optimize Peak Demand in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

ConnectedSolutions is a commercial and industrial (C&I) demand response program designed to reduce peak demand during the summer months while delivering financial incentives for participants. This program is available to users in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, running from June through September, and includes 30 to 60 events each season, triggered during periods of peak grid demand. Within this program, incentive rates are highly competitive—$200/kW in Massachusetts and $275/kW in Rhode Island—with the ability to lock in rates for up to five years. Additionally, incentives are capped at 150% of a site’s annual peak load.  

With day-ahead notifications, participants have ample time to prepare their energy storage systems (ESS) to respond. When you deploy a system, paired with Acumen AI, it can receive the day-ahead notification, optimize and dispatch the asset, send that data back, and then get the customer paid for energy dispatched.  

ETB Controller with Acumen AI™ fully automates and optimizes your asset for program participation, ensuring your ESS performs at its best during demand response events and pays the customer accordingly. For a real-world example, check out our case study on how an energy storage system deployed at a marine coating facility leverages ConnectedSolutions to reduce demand charges and maximize program participation. Read the full case study here.

Clean Peak Standard: Incentivizing Renewable Energy During Peak Demand

The Clean Peak Standard (CPS) program, implemented in Massachusetts, rewards renewable energy deployment that reduces demand or supplies electricity during seasonal peak demand periods. Participants generate value through Clean Peak Energy Credits (CPECs), which are awarded for producing renewable energy during high-demand hours. 

The program encourages renewable energy adoption by requiring a minimum percentage of electricity to come from renewable sources and obligating retail electricity providers to meet compliance through purchasing CPECs. Through the CPS program, for every 1MWh of renewable energy generated, one CPEC is created, with energy produced during designated peak hours earning up to 25 times more credits.  

Through Acumen AI, our users can co-optimize program participation and utility bill savings, to maximize financial outcomes for their solar and energy storage assets. We also support users in generating CPECs and selling them, ensuring that the revenue is provided to the user.

Check out our case study on how a Massachusetts solar farm utilizes ETB Controller (formerly Acumen EMS™) to participate in the Clean Peak Energy Standard (CPS) program and maximize revenue. Read the case study here.

By adding Connected Solutions and the Clean Peak Standard, Energy Toolbase provides a comprehensive strategy for energy savings and revenue generation in the Northeast. With automated energy management powered by Acumen AI, customers can confidently participate in these programs while maximizing financial benefits from solar and energy storage assets. Energy Toolbase is consistently working to add additional grid services programs to our database. Interested in learning more about how we support ConnectedSolutions and Clean Peak Standard? Feel free to schedule a call with our team! 

Watch our recent webinar to learn more about these two newly released grid services programs on ETB Developer, ConnectedSolutions and Clean Peak Standard (CPS). We guide you through how these programs unlock new revenue opportunities for energy storage projects in the Northeast while maximizing savings and simplifying participation. Watch here.