US energy storage inclusion sees sharp growth in 2017

The use of energy storage in the United States continues to grow, according to a report from GTM Research and the Energy Storage Association (ESA) released this week.

That growth spiked dramatically this year to 46 percent, with a total 41.8 MW of energy storage engaged in 2017’s third quarter. While the use of this service is expected to continue growing across the country, this year’s sizable gains came largely from Texas, where a single, 30 megawatts (MW) project led to two-thirds of the reported growth. Florida, Tennessee, and Massachusetts also saw considerably smaller projects assisting in the growth, the report indicated that 14 U.S. states’ utilities currently make use of storage technology.

“Energy storage deployments are increasing rapidly, as more policymakers and grid planners are recognizing the many benefits of storage,” Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of the ESA, said. “Coupled with policies that provide a clear signal to markets, and regulatory reforms that compensate storage for the full value it offers, we see this trend continuing toward 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2025.”

Further, Ravi Manghani, director of energy storage for GTM Research, indicated that many utilities are to date accounting for hundreds of MW of storage for their research stacks, actively figuring them into the grid. This trend has continued at home as well, with programs like the California Self-Generation Incentive Program and the Hawaii Customer Self-Supply Program leading to a 202 percent growth in residential energy storage over the last year.

GTM Research predicted 295 MW of storage by the end of 2017 and for the United States to cross 1 GW in 2019. They also expect such gains to lead to a U.S. energy storage market worth $3.1 billion by 2022.