Distributed Energy Storage, a New Perspective for Utility Regulators
A recent report from IREC offers independent insight on how regulatory guidance and proactive policies can ease the integration of distributed energy storage into the existing electrical system.
As the percentage of electricity generated from renewable energy sources continues to grow in the U.S., particularly from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, technologies that can facilitate increased deployment of renewable energy, such as distributed energy storage, are front and center in state and national discussions.
“Distributed energy storage has enormous potential to be a vital tool for states that seek to expand the use of renewable energy, while also offering additional services that can broadly improve the quality and efficiency of the electric service provided by utilities,” says lead report author Sky Stanfield, who represents IREC in regulatory matters. “IREC developed this report to help identify key regulatory changes that states may want to consider in the near term in order to facilitate rollout of distributed storage in a manner that captures the greatest benefits and promotes a healthy market for storage services.” More
