US solar trade body sets a bold target of 700 GWh of battery storage by 2030

Photo: Ørsted

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has announced a target of 700 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of total installed battery storage capacity and 10 million distributed storage installations by 2030.

The targets are part of a new whitepaper, “SEIA’s Vision for American Energy Storage,” that analyzes the economic and energy security imperative of a strong US battery storage sector. The whitepaper outlines policy recommendations to open markets for storage development, build financial support, grow a domestic storage supply chain, and progress long-duration storage technology.

The SEIA is also releasing a new 50-state guide to energy storage policies at the state level.

“Expanding energy storage capacity is a crucial means of ensuring our nation’s energy security and resilience,” said SEIA president and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “As demand for energy soars, storage helps turn quick-to-build, low-cost solar generation into clean, dispatchable power, ensuring our grid can adapt to challenges, support critical infrastructure, and deliver reliable power to every community.”

According to Wood Mackenzie, there are 83 GWh of installed energy storage capacity in the US, including nearly 500,000 distributed storage installations. Current forecasts show that US storage capacity is expected to reach 450 GWh by 2030, falling short of the capacity required to support US energy needs.

The whitepaper calls on states, regional transmission organizations, and the federal government to take action to accelerate storage deployment and manufacturing. These actions include:

Preserving the federal tax credit for standalone storage
Ensuring equal grid access and fair compensation to storage for grid services
Reforming interconnection processes to account for storage flexibility
Establishing affordable retail rates for storage charging
Supporting domestic manufacturing with targeted trade policies and streamlined permitting
Implementing state-level procurement programs
Emphasizing investments in low-income communities, including areas disproportionately impacted by extreme weather and poor air quality
Investing in further development of long-duration storage

“The US storage market is at an inflection point, but with the mix of policy support and private, state, and federal collaboration, we can achieve SEIA’s storage targets while creating jobs and ensuring reliable, around-the-clock power for every home and business in this county,” said Joan White, SEIA’s director of storage and interconnection.

Access the whitepaper and learn more about SEIA’s energy storage advocacy work here.

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