EIA predicts utility-scale battery storage power capacity to nearly triple by 2023

Utility-scale battery storage power could nearly triple current rates and reach more than 2,500 megawatts by 2023, according to a new Annual Electric Generator report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

As of March 2019, battery storage accounts for 899 MW — a figure that is already more than quadruple the 214 MW being produced by such operations five years ago. The EIA expects utility scale battery storage to continue growing over the next five years.

These efforts have been fueled by state-level energy storage policies more supportive of battery installations, coupled with Order 841 from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which directed power system operators to allow these battery systems to work with their energy, capacity and ancillary services markets. The rise of wind and solar use has also contributed to battery storage growth, as the services are frequently paired together.

To date, the United States hosts 16 battery storage sites with installed power capacities of 20 MW or higher. The majority of these are based in California, Illinois, and Texas, with California planning a large new facility for installation later this year. That facility — the Top Gun Energy Storage facility — is expected to produce 30 MW of installed capacity. Already this year, 60 additional MW of utility-scale battery storage power capacity has been brought online, and another 108 MW is expected by the end of the year.

The EIA reports that another 1,623 MW are planned to begin production by the end of 2023.