The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has agreed to remove barriers to the use of energy storage systems in markets operated by regional transmission organisations and independent system operators.
FERC said the decision will “enhance competition and promote greater efficiency” in US wholesale electricity markets.
The existing market rules had been designed for “traditional” sources of generation that had created barriers to emerging technologies, such as energy storage, the US regulator said.
Regulations will now require grid operators to revise tariffs to “establish a participation model for electric storage resources that consist of market rules that properly recognise the physical and operational characteristics” of the new technology, FERC added.
US Energy Storage Association chief executive Kelly Speakes-Backman said: “Electric storage technologies already fulfil crucial functions in the bulk power system to provide reliable power and a more resilient grid.
“With this action, FERC signaled both a recognition of the value provided by storage today, and more importantly, a clear vision of the role electric storage can play, given a clear pathway to wholesale market participation.”
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US removes storage hurdle
By EBS