Energy regulators in Arizona are being urged to consider a package of proposals that would see the state deploy 3,000MW of energy storage by 2023— and generate 80% of the state’s power needs from “clean energy”.
The blueprint for energy reform, presented by Arizona Corporation Commission member Andy Tobin (pictured), said the 3,000MW target was “by far the largest such goal in the US” and could be “made possible by storage markets which have recently seen drastic improvements in technology along with falling costs”.
Tobin said: “It’s no longer enough to just install solar panels as quickly as possible. We need to pair these resources with new technology to maximise their effectiveness and maintain stability.”
Tobin’s plan, which he has called on the full Commission to review when it meets this month, said “expanding energy storage gives Arizona the opportunity to capture low priced energy during non-peak hours and reinject that energy back into the grid during on-peak rate periods”.
The bid to boost the take-up of energy storage in Arizona follows a number of recent initiatives in the state, including the installation of two 4MWh lithium-ion battery storage systems to boost electricity supply to a growing community in rural Arizona, instead of rebuilding 20 miles of power lines.
Last year, electric utility Tucson Electric Power said it was planning to enhance the performance of Arizona’s electric grid by using two 10MW lithium battery systems.
