By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

Maryland residents will soon have the opportunity to marry clean energy and battery storage, thanks to a partnership between CleanChoice Energy and Swell Energy.

As power outages become more prevalent as violent, climate-change induced storms rock the U.S. mainland, home battery storage is increasingly becoming a necessity, not a luxury. Thanks to CleanChoice and Swell, Marylanders can install home energy backup and perhaps qualify a state tax credit of up to $5,000.*

Last year, more than 36.7 million people – including 88,000 Marylanders – were affected by 3,526 reported power outages across the country.

“People need reliable backup power now more than ever. Climate change is fueling extreme weather that makes the grid more vulnerable to power outages at the exact time that we all depend on electricity for nearly everything. Marylanders can now have peace of mind knowing their lights will stay on when the power goes out,” said Tom Matzzie, CEO of CleanChoice Energy. “Home battery backup makes our homes more resilient, helps move us closer to 100% clean energy, and can make dirty generators obsolete.”

“This program enables us to offer Maryland CleanChoice Energy consumers a radically simple, cost-effective clean energy and smart home solution,” said Matthew Rising, CRO of Swell Energy.

Home batteries store energy from the electric grid and provide seamless backup power to run essential items during power outages of up to 12 hours**—long enough to get through nine out of 10 utility company power outages.

Home energy batteries are a clean alternative to dirty generators that run on polluting fuels including gasoline, propane, natural gas, and diesel fuel. Burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change and unhealthy air pollution; for example, diesel exhaust has been classified a potential human carcinogen.

Swell offers batteries to homeowners as-a-service, and virtually combines the storage capacity across these batteries to provide energy and grid services to its utility and retail electricity partners.

*Tax credit information based on Maryland Energy Administration Energy Storage Tax Credit Program and should not be construed as legal or tax advice nor does it guarantee availability, qualification, or amounts of incentives or credits.

**A standard home will use 1-2 kW/hour. The total time that a battery can power your home during an outage depends on your individual usage.