Five Facts about Energy Storage that Every Californian Should Know

on October 27, 2020

If you aren’t already paying attention to energy storage, you should be. While most people admittedly don’t get giddy at the thought of a lithium ion battery, energy experts and policymakers do and they are becoming increasingly excited about the potential role energy storage can play in the future of electricity management. And for good reason – storage can help build resiliency, shore up energy reliability in communities, and support the move to 100 percent renewable energy.

And nowhere is this more apparent than California – a state that has already committed to 100 percent clean electricity and has quickly turned to energy storage as a key piece of this challenge. Over the past decade, the state has been a leader in storage development and has pioneered successes in the area that any energy-interested reader would be remiss to ignore. If this is news to you, not to worry, we’re here to catch you up. Here are five facts about energy storage in California you need to know.

1) California leads the charge on energy storage

California leads all states in energy storage deployment, and frankly, the other states aren’t even close. According to the Department of Energy, California currently boasts around 300 utility-scale storage projects, well ahead of second place New York and Massachusetts with only around 40 each and about triple the number of active projects in the entire nation of Germany. This accounts for more than 1,500 megawatts (MW) or 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of storage capacity. To put that in context, this amount of storage has roughly the same maximum power output as 4.68 million solar panels and around 13,635 Nissan Leafs (or the flux capacitor of one time traveling DeLorean).

Notably, California’s storage prowess extends beyond its sheer number of projects. The state was the first in the nation to establish an energy storage procurement target a decade ago and has continued to be a trailblazer in developing and passing storage legislation. California, for instance, is the only state along with New York, to design storage policies aimed at addressing equity and underserved communities to rectify disparities in energy access and cost.

2) California’s storage programs and projects are innovative

The state is home to some of the most ambitious storage initiatives, projects, and mandates in the world. At the cornerstone of these achievements is the Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP), an initiative that provides financial incentives to promising storage projects, both commercial and residential. The program has already provided millions of dollars in incentives and is poised to continue funding projects through at least 2025. This is particularly exciting for residential customers seeking to outfit their homes or small businesses with battery technology. The program will prioritize future funding for low-income and high-fire-threat communities in the hope that storage can help individuals keep the lights on during outages.

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