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Energy Storage Futures, Volume 1: Types and Services

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John Benson's picture
Senior Consultant, Microgrid Labs

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Microgrid Labs, Inc. Advisor: 2014 to Present Developed product plans, conceptual and preliminary designs for projects, performed industry surveys and developed...

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  • Feb 3, 2022
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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) over the last year released a multivolume study titled “Storage Futures Study.” The high-level goal of this is to model battery storage systems’ (BESS) implementation out to 2050. However it also takes a deep dive into how these systems are currently used, will be used in the future, the economics and technology surrounding their use along the way.  
There are currently six volumes in this series, and a seventh is planned sometime later in 2022. As I start to write this series my current intent is to track each of these volumes with a much shorter one of my own (Volume 1 of SFS is 50 pages long). Since I recently stopped posting a second paper every week, I will complete each BESS Futures paper, go through my normal proofing process, and then post each on a following Thursday.
This paper summarizes Part 1 of the Storage Futures Study.
 

Discussions
Matt Chester's picture
Matt Chester on Feb 3, 2022

I wonder if the first major utility-scale storage moves will be made in smaller countries that don't have to deal with the wide geography, disparate jurisdictions, and various grid operators that make the U.S. utility sector so complex. 

John Benson's picture
John Benson on Feb 4, 2022

Not necessarily smaller:

Shortly after Y2K I was working for Siemens in Minneapolis as a marketing manager, and I one of my colleagues came over from Switzerland. I was supposed to explain our market to him. and then he was going to prepare a report for his management. I started out with the simple stuff - our four major utility cultures (IOUs, Munis, Coops and various government bodies (federal authorities (like TVA), state public utility districts, etc.) I was just about done with this section when his eyes rolled back in his head, and he said: "You do it!" (his report).

 

Since I had already worked for Landis & Gyr for 20 years at that point (our Swiss division handled the system business in Europe). I already knew the European market was much simpler than ours as it had been "rationalized" by their old boy network.

 

I did his report for him.

 

-John

 

Audra Drazga's picture
Audra Drazga on Feb 4, 2022

John, As always love your in-depth insights! 

John Benson's picture
Thank John for the Post!
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