Energy storage technologies have a crucial role to play in enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy. Yet despite significant growth of the energy storage market in recent years, the process of connecting this technology to the electric grid remains complex and unclear in many states across the U.S.
A new 3-year project, led by Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office, aims to simplify the interconnection process for standalone energy storage and solar-plus-storage projects by identifying and developing solutions to regulatory and technical barriers.
IREC is a 36-year-old not-for-profit organization that relies on public and private support to make affordable, reliable, sustainable clean energy and energy efficiency possible for more Americans.
With support from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office, IREC is leading a team of partners to simplify the interconnection process for standalone energy storage and solar-plus-storage projects. This project—BATRIES (Building a Technically Reliable Interconnection Evolution for Storage)—will achieve that goal by addressing the barriers to storage interconnection and identifying solutions that will pave the way for rapid deployment of storage on the distribution grid.
As IREC President and CEO Larry Sherwood explains, “In many states, if you propose a system with solar-plus-storage, the rules about how to interconnect to the grid are not at all clear. That creates a lot of uncertainty for developers, which increases costs and may scare them away from certain markets. As a result, the full benefits of storage are not realized. Establishing best practices for the interconnection of storage to the grid is critical to sustaining market growth and enabling significant clean energy deployment.”
Partners
Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)
U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA)
California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA)
New Hampshire Electric Cooperative Inc. (NHEC)
PacifiCorp
Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, LLP (SMW)
Full project HERE