US solar group seeks major energy storage expansion

A U.S. solar industry group on Wednesday unveiled an aggressive goal to deploy vast amounts of energy storage capacity by 2030 to help renewables serve power-hungry customers.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Large energy users have been investing in nuclear, geothermal and natural gas power plants to meet soaring demand for electricity from data centers. Energy storage, primarily large lithium-ion batteries, can help zero-emitting resources like wind and solar serve those needs by storing power when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing so that it can be used later.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Solar Energy Industries Association said it wants to see 700 gigawatt-hours of energy storage on the grid by the end of this decade -- about 55% more than current forecasts.

SEIA aims for 20% of all storage installations to occur in the residential, commercial, and community segments, with the other 80% connected to the grid.

WHAT'S NEXT

SEIA called on policymakers and regulators to implement measures to speed the growth of energy storage. They include: supporting domestic battery manufacturing, enabling storage to compete in wholesale markets, creating state procurement programs and maintaining a federal subsidy for energy storage systems created in former President Joe Biden's climate change law, the Inflation Reduction Act.

CONTEXT

President Donald Trump is pushing for faster permitting of energy infrastructure but has expressed disdain for renewables including solar. Last week he issued an executive action suspending federal leasing and permitting for wind projects.