Energy Storage Association charts path for 100 GW of storage in U.S. by 2030

The US Energy Storage Association (ESA), the national trade association for the American energy storage industry, has issued an expanded vision for energy storage, 100×30: Enabling the Clean Power Transformation. The white paper charts a path for the industry to deploy 100GW of new storage across the United States in the next decade.

The white paper is informed by developments in the energy storage and clean energy markets and extrapolates upon ESA’s 2017 vision document (35×25: A Vision for Energy Storage).

The 100×30 paper depicts a path to 100GW of new energy storage in the next decade, based on an extrapolation of the ESA’s original 35×25 report, experts’ projections, and the impact of the accelerating clean energy transformation of the US electricity grid.

Technologies in the 100GW of new energy storage include batteries, thermal, mechanical and pumped storage hydro. ESA estimates that 100GW of storage deployment by 2030 would produce 200,000 jobs, roughly a three-fold increase from current levels.

“The US power sector is in the midst of transformation to a cleaner, more modern infrastructure,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of ESA. “With the right policies and regulatory frameworks in place, we believe that achieving 100GW of new storage installations by 2030 is entirely reasonable and attainable. Current market projections indicate remarkable growth for energy storage over the next decade, and its role is expanding to maintain and enhance the reliability, resilience, stability and affordability of electricity over the coming decade.”

To reach the goal of 100GW of new energy storage by 2030, the report outlines a combination of strengthened policy support, such as the investment tax credit (ITC) for stand-alone storage facilities, as well as the continuation of emerging policies that remove barriers to market participation. The combination of a supportive policy framework and a vibrant clean energy economy will drive energy storage growth and set a trajectory for 100GW of new storage, keeping the power system reliable, resilient and affordable.

This article was originally posted on Smart Energy International and was republished with permission.