Storing the future of energy: Navigating energy storage policy to promote clean energy generation

Abstract

AbstractThe United States has experienced heightened interest in clean energy sources, with many states implementing renewable technologies for energy generation. These efforts are critical for moving states and the nation toward decarbonization and decreased emissions within the transportation and power industries. A challenge with renewable sources (particularly solar and wind) is the inherent variability of energy generation due to climate and geographic influences. Consequently, there is increased interest in addressing energy storage technologies to better capitalize on excess power from high‐production periods for use in times of low generation. Energy storage comes in many different forms with varying duration. Several forms of energy storage are explored in this report to demonstrate the variety of technology options. Following research of the current state of energy storage policy, this work proposes three areas of potential policy improvements for industry: (1) implementation of a policy framework for states to produce ambitious energy storage procurement metrics; (2) amending of the federal investment tax credit for energy storage technologies to be duration‐based; and (3) incentivization of sustainable battery practices. It is imperative for state legislatures to create informed energy storage goals alongside current renewable energy metrics. Amending the modern federal investment tax credit system to include duration‐based incentivization will encourage the deployment of long‐duration technologies to combat variation in electricity generation over the course of seasons. Finally, for the continued deployment of batteries, sustainable practices must be implemented to mitigate material and environmental challenges posed by them, including recycling practices and alternative chemistry utilization.