Energy Storage

The document examines various energy storage technologies, from established methods like pumped hydro to emerging battery and flywheel systems, highlighting their role in integrating renewable energy and stabilizing the grid. It details the impact of FERC Orders 1000 and 755 and DOE initiatives, such as the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), in reducing technical and economic hurdles. Additionally, it profiles several large-scale U.S. projects and discusses proposed legislation, including the STORAGE Act, aimed at incentivizing storage deployment through tax credits.

• Energy storage is critical for mitigating electricity industry challenges, including managing fluctuating demand, maintaining power during interruptions, and facilitating the integration of variable renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
• Pumped Hydroelectric Storage is the most established commercial utility-scale technology, with the U.S. having over 22 GW installed and Europe expecting over 15 GW of new facilities by 2020.
• Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is one of only two commercial bulk-energy storage plants currently deployed, with operating systems in Germany and Alabama, and a new 317 MW project under development in Texas.
• The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research (JCESR), funded by a $120 million DOE appropriation, aims to develop battery technology by 2017 that provides five times the energy storage at one-fifth the current cost of lithium-ion batteries.
• FERC Order No. 1000 reforms transmission planning to allow independent developers to compete with utilities, while Order No. 755 ensures that storage technologies providing frequency regulation are compensated based on performance.
• Proposed legislation, specifically the STORAGE Act of 2013, suggests a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) for businesses and homeowners using storage, and a 20 percent ITC for grid-scale systems, with a total budget of $1.5 billion.
• The U.S. has deployed diverse large-scale projects, including the Bath County Pumped Storage Station (3,003 MW), the Notrees Wind Farm's lead-acid system (36 MW), and the Beacon Power flywheel plant (20 MW) which provides 10 percent of New York's frequency regulation needs.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2013). Energy Storage. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Energy_Storage_080613.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Energy Storage. 2013. https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Energy_Storage_080613.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Energy Storage |date=August 2013 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Energy_Storage_080613.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2013energy, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Energy Storage}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/IssueBrief_Energy_Storage_080613.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }