Wednesday 17 July 2019

US utility-scale battery storage capacity to nearly triple by 2023

US utility-scale battery storage capacity to nearly triple by 2023

The US is expected to see utility-scale battery storage capacity nearly triple by the end of 2023.

That’s according to latest figures from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), which suggests the use of the technology has been growing in recent years.

It states the operating capacity of battery storage units has more than quadrupled from the end of 2014, when it stood at 214MW, to March this year at 899MW.

As of March 2019, the total capacity planned to come online over the next four years is 1,623MW.

If currently planned additions are completed and no operating capacity is retired, utility-scale battery storage capacity could exceed 2,500MW by 2023, the EIA adds.

Out of all the planned projects, the largest two sites account for 725MW of capacity and are planned to start commercial operation in 2021.

With a capacity of 409MW, the Manatee Solar Energy Centre in Florida is expected to be the largest solar-powered battery system in the world. The second largest planned project is the Helix Ravenswood facility in New York.

The report states: “Growth in utility-scale battery installations is the result of supportive state-level energy storage policies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s Order 841 that directs power system operators to allow utility-scale battery systems to engage in their wholesale energy, capacity and ancillary services markets.

“In addition, pairing utility-scale battery storage with intermittent renewable resources, such as wind and solar, has become increasingly competitive compared with traditional generation options.”

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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