Could this be so, after batteries beat their heads against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s wall for so long? We heard sweet music in our ears on 16 February 2018, when Business Day quoted Federal Commission chair Kevin McIntyre as follows. “Our job is not to pick winners and losers,” he said. U.S. battery barriers are coming down.
What Does this Mean … U.S. Battery Barriers Coming Down?
In a few words – the rules are complex – U.S. grid operators may now use batteries and flywheels to establish energy prices.
They may also deploy them to dispatch power to the grid, and include them in capacity calculations.
The renewable power industry has been pushing that U.S. battery barriers are unfair for years. California has already responded. The proof lies in the carbon offsets the sunshine state has for sale. Renewable are already starting to edge fossil out elsewhere. However, Bloomberg analyst Yayoi Sekin cautions, “Market rules are only the first step,” to dismantling U.S. battery barriers.
At UPS Battery Center, We Believe Steps Are Already Taken
There are numerous projects coming on line to challenge the old order of U.S. battery barriers. Renewables have proven cheaper than coal in Colorado.
Moreover, Arizona’s Solar is building 65MW panels coupled to 50MW battery storage cheaper than peakers burning gas.
Unfortunately, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission refused to approve full integration of distributed energy into power markets. Their reasoning is they require further studies to satisfy concerns about overall reliability. We can live with that for a while longer. We cannot afford even the possibility of renewables bringing the grid down.
And so we watch, and we wait in fascination of what lies ahead for these remaining U.S. battery barriers. We close with a thought by Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of Energy Storage Association. She said, “With this morning’s unequivocal action, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission signaled … a clear vision of the role electric storage can play, given a clear pathway to wholesale market participation.”
Related:
Renewables Cheaper Than Coal in Colorado
Are We the Last Fossil Fuel Generation
Preview Image: Electricity Substation
