This chapter supports procurement of energy storage systems (ESS) and services, primarily through the development of procurement documents such as Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), and term sheets.
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Lawmakers in Illinois introduced several bills in mid-2024 which included energy storage procurement targets. One pair of bills targets 7.5 GW by 2030 and a separate set would set the goal at 9 GW by 2030 and 15 GW by 2038.
If all of the energy storage-related requests for proposal (RfPs), site applications, and other utility proposals that were active at the end of 2024 take shape, US utilities will add more than 18.5 GW of energy storage capacity. Energy storage has been a hot topic and growth sector in the sustainable energy space for years.
If all of the RfPs, applications, and other utility proposals that were active at the end of 2024 materialize, utilities will add more than 18.5 GW of energy storage capacity in places including Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Which states have regulated energy storage?
Utilities in Georgia, Kentucky, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin have either opened RfPs or petitioned for regulatory approval of energy storage, which includes thermal energy as well as electrical. Thermal storage can offset energy use for heating or cooling by directly storing the energy type that will be needed.
What is the Maryland energy storage program?
The new law requires the Maryland Public Service Commission to establish the Maryland Energy Storage Program by July 1, 2025 and provides for incentives for the development of energy storage. Procurement targets are beneficial in that they provide supportive signals for investors and reduce regulatory uncertainty.
This SRM does not address new policy actions, nor does it specify budgets and resources for future activities. This Energy Storage SRM responds to the Energy Storage Strategic Plan periodic update requirement of the Better Energy Storage Technology (BEST) section of the Energy Policy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C. § 17232 (b) (5)).