The energy storage industry in the US is experiencing delays and could be staring in the face of potential job losses, according to a poll conducted by the national Energy Storage Association (ESA).
“The COVID-19 virus has placed unprecedented stress on the physical and economic health of communities around the world, and in just a few short weeks has upended our daily personal and work lives for an undetermined period ahead. For individuals working in the energy storage industry, the story is no different,” a statement sent out yesterday from the ESA read.
The association had sent out a short survey last Wednesday, 18 March finding out from 175 respondents that “the impact has been immediate and potentially devastating to our industry”.
Almost two-thirds (62%) of respondents are “already experiencing delays in project development,” while an actual two-thirds (66%) expect to “incur delays soon”.
Of that latter figure, 44% are experiencing short-term impacts (defined as a month’s worth of delays) already, while more than a third (37%) anticipate six months or more of delays in project deployment.
What can be done?
The ESA highlighted the benefits that energy storage brings, including increasing grid efficiency and lowering the cost of power supply, adding longevity to existing grid infrastructure, allowing for more clean energy resources to be added and enabling backup for when blackouts occur. This is added to the employment of some 60,000 people across the US and around US$1 billion a year of economic activity that energy storage accounts for.
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