In the US, energy storage has quickly become a featured issue among legislative and regulatory discussions across the country.
States are tackling a myriad of issues within legislation, executive orders and commission proceedings that will impact the overall cost and value of energy storage, the process of connecting energy storage to the grid, and the extent to which energy storage is integrated into long-term grid planning and operations.
Last year alone, state legislatures across the country considered over 30 energy storage related bills, and regulatory commissions in over a dozen states tackled an array of regulatory proceedings impacting energy storage deployment.
As more states take steps to ensure energy storage can be integrated on the grid and contribute to the achievement of aggressive clean energy goals, the implementation details are critical. Although it may seem straightforward to integrate energy storage into state energy markets, the characteristics that make storage so valuable and attractive also make it challenging to address in policy and regulatory contexts.
Historically, aspects of the technology itself have made it less understood and more complex to integrate into state policy and regulatory frameworks, traditional utility planning and electricity markets.
State-by-State: Leaders, not followers
Fortunately, more states are leading the charge for energy storage, and demonstrating diverse approaches to support market growth.
New York has long been at the forefront of clean energy policy discussions. It has garnered significant attention over the past five years for its initiatives, including massive regulatory undertakings aimed to increase the resiliency of the electric grid and enable more efficient and equitable integration of distributed energy resources. Though its work is still underway, a major policy move in 2019 is certain to accelerate clean energy progress in the Empire State.
New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act calls for both 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 and economy-wide, net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Meeting these ambitious goals will require considerable effort, especially given the fact that New York is the third-largest economy in the country. To reach the new targets, the bill calls for a 23% increase in energy efficiency, 9GW of offshore wind energy by 2035, 6GW of distributed solar energy capacity by 2025, and 3GW of energy storage capacity by 2030. The storage target, approved by the New York Public Service Commission in December 2018, is one of the biggest targets set in any state.
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