The US state of Massachusetts has formally set a 200 MWh energy storage target to be achieved by 2020 – supported by a $10 million commitment to study, develop and encourage storage deployment.
The target, set by the state’s Department of Energy Resources (DOER), follows last year’s signing of bipartisan “energy diversification” legislation by state governor Charlie Baker (pictured).
The Baker administration said then that policy changes to support investment in the power sector had “the potential to yield 600 MW of advanced energy storage technologies on the Massachusetts grid by 2025”.
According to the US Energy Storage Association (ESA), “Massachusetts has the fifth highest electric rates in the country and… energy storage is a critical tool for providing ratepayers relief through reducing peak system demands and extending the life of current infrastructure investments while enabling greater utilisation of clean energy.”
ESA executive director Matt Roberts said: “Massachusetts should be congratulated for their holistic efforts to incorporate energy storage into multiple state programmes focused on clean energy and grid reliability.”
