IRA sets the stage for US energy storage to thrive

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law in August significantly improves the economics for large-scale battery storage projects in the U.S. For the first time, standalone storage systems will be eligible for a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) — and up to 70 percent with additional incentives.

Nov. 7, 2022

Texas moves ahead with expanded 80 MW distributed energy resource pilot designed to boost grid reliability

Initial discussions had considered a 10 MW limit on the pilot. “What it shows to me is that we're conservative in the way we think about how we ensure reliability,” said Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 4, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

DTE Electric proposes $9B spend on 5.4 GW renewables, 760 MW storage, coal-to-gas power plant switch

The Detroit-based utility aims to exit coal in 2035, with carbon capture and small nuclear reactors as replacement options.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 4, 2022

AES Indiana says converting 1,052 MW of coal to gas will be $381M cheaper than renewables and storage

The utility’s resource plan includes little near-term solar and fails to take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for “energy communities,” said Ben Inskeep, Citizens Action Coalition program director.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 2, 2022

Sunrun to develop 17-MW virtual power plant for Puerto Rico’s electric utility, connecting 7,000 homes

Sunrun says the virtual power plant will be the first large-scale distributed solar resource on the island and is expected to be operational in 2024.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 2, 2022

Zinc-based storage manufacturer Eos delays some production to 2023 to capitalize on federal tax credits

Eos Energy Enterprises CEO Joe Mastrangelo said the company has reshaped its strategy to take advantage of various benefits for energy storage in the Inflation Reduction Act.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 1, 2022

How the US plans to transform its lithium supply chain

With just 3.6% of global reserves, U.S. access to the critical mineral is vital to the country’s sustainable energy plans.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Nov. 1, 2022

Electric utilities aren’t doing enough to address inequities in today’s power system, advocates say

How are companies, regulators, NGOs and others ensuring that the energy transition is equitable?

By Robert Walton • Oct. 28, 2022

Engie buys 6-GW solar and storage development portfolio from Belltown Power

The deal for projects in PJM, ERCOT and other markets comes as Consolidated Edison, American Electric Power and Duke Energy move to sell their unregulated renewable energy businesses.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 28, 2022

The energy system is ‘inherently racist,’ advocates say. How are utilities responding to calls for greater equity?

Utility commitments to customer equity, energy affordability and equitable access to clean energy resources are becoming more common, but energy justice advocates say companies need to do more. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 26, 2022

Sunnova urges California PUC to dismiss PG&E, SCE ‘sky is falling’ concerns, review microgrid proposal

“This is a real opportunity to examine what's going to be a fairly prevalent use case,” said Robert Perry, a consultant for World Business Academy, one of 16 organizations supporting a commission review of the plan.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 25, 2022

Battery capacity in the US more than tripled since the start of 2021: report

More battery projects are coming online, spurring a significant rise in storage capacity and drawing in growing levels of corporate funding.

By Stephen Singer • Oct. 21, 2022

DOE taps 20 companies to receive $2.8B for battery manufacturing, minerals processing build-out

The funding is the first phase of a total $7 billion investment by the federal government to advance domestic supply chains for electric vehicle battery production.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2022

Inflation Reduction Act will drive development of 111 GWh of energy storage: BloombergNEF

But supply chain constraints "cloud deployment expectations until 2024,” the firm cautioned.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2022

New Jersey BPU storage incentive proposal targets 1 GW of 4-hour batteries by 2030

New Jersey is targeting 2 GW of installed storage by 2030 but currently has less than 500 MW.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 11, 2022

CAISO calls for near-term power procurement, even with possible Diablo Canyon extension

The California Public Utilities Commission is considering requiring utilities and others to line up near-term power supplies to make up for project delays in earlier procurements.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 11, 2022

GM takes on Tesla, others; launches unit focused on energy storage, solar and vehicle-to-grid charging

General Motors hopes the new services will spur EV adoption while improving grid resiliency, it said as part of a broader business announcement Tuesday.

By Dan Zukowski • Oct. 11, 2022

The Inflation Reduction Act will turbocharge energy storage

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will serve as a key driver for energy storage deployment in the U.S. and foster the nation’s transition to a clean energy economy.

By Andy Tang, Vice President, Energy Storage & Optimization, Wärtsilä • Oct. 10, 2022

97% of smart meters fail to provide promised customer benefits. Can $3B in new funding change that?

Interoperability standards can deliver “non-discriminatory access” to real-time data from new smart meters to fulfill promises of customer savings and other system benefits, energy managers say.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 5, 2022

NextEra, PGE open US’ first wind-solar-battery project as Inflation Reduction Act ups storage options

“This is exactly the kind of development that we hoped would go forward under the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Gregory Wetstone, president and CEO at the American Council on Renewable Energy.

By Katie Pyzyk • Oct. 5, 2022

7 misperceptions about the viability of utility-scale battery storage

Large-scale battery storage is expected to contribute 10,000 megawatts (MW) to the U.S. power grid by 2023.

Oct. 3, 2022

How will residential solar + storage fare in a blackout? Berkeley Lab looks to historical data for insight.

In 70% of outage events, most homes with a 30-kWh storage system would have been able to maintain critical loads, researchers said.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 28, 2022

Federal dollars for storage diversification must come with permit reforms, Manchin, others say

A timely buildout of competing storage technologies depends on accelerated permitting of interconnections, pumped storage and other projects, Democrats and Republicans agreed.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Sept. 27, 2022

Moving beyond California’s one-sided view of reliability

We need a path to quickly scale the complete set of energy resources needed to match renewable generation with statewide load at all times, the author writes.

By Sam Maslin • Sept. 27, 2022

Long-duration storage at the cusp of a breakthrough, but market constraints persist: RE+ panelists

The Inflation Reduction Act created incentives to spur the adoption of long-duration energy storage technologies, RE+ panelists said, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to connect new concepts to the grid.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 21, 2022