Energy storage receives another important policy

Does state energy storage policy matter?

While decisions carried out by federal regulators and regional market operators have an impact on state energy storage policy, state policymakers—and state legislators in particular—are instrumental in enacting policies that remove barriers to adoption and encourage investment in storage technologies.

How effective is energy storage policymaking?

Yet the most effective approaches to energy storage policymaking are far from clear. This report, published jointly by Sandia National Laboratories and the Clean Energy States Alliance, summarizes findings from a 2022 survey of states leading in decarbonization goals and programs.

Why is energy storage important?

As the report details, energy storage is a key component in making renewable energy sources, like wind and solar, financially and logistically viable at the scales needed to decarbonize our power grid and combat climate change.

Why is energy storage important in a decarbonized energy system?

In deeply decarbonized energy systems utilizing high penetrations of variable renewable energy (VRE), energy storage is needed to keep the lights on and the electricity flowing when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing — when generation from these VRE resources is low or demand is high.

What is a storage policy?

All of the states with a storage policy in place have a renewable portfolio standard or a nonbinding renewable energy goal. Regulatory changes can broaden competitive access to storage such as by updating resource planning requirements or permitting storage through rate proceedings.

What are the different types of energy storage policy?

Approximately 16 states have adopted some form of energy storage policy, which broadly fall into the following categories: procurement targets, regulatory adaption, demonstration programs, financial incentives, and consumer protections. Below we give an overview of each of these energy storage policy categories.