We are entering a new era of energy storage. Looking at the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – which provides tax incentives for developing standalone energy storage projects – as well as new state and federal grant programs designed to accelerate innovation, there has never been more focus or opportunities for energy storage development and deployment. Beyond its key role in decarbonizing our power systems, energy storage is a critical tool for grid planners, operators, and customers – supporting a range of grid flexibility and reliability goals and serving important reserve services for the bulk electricity system. And while there has been much progress already made – lithium batteries, for instance, have significantly improved in cost and performance over the past decade – these recent government initiatives reflect the growing importance of optimizing energy storage technology for our future.
As part of our Energy Storage and Distributed Generation program, EPRI collaborated with industry stakeholders to develop the Energy Storage Roadmap. a vision of what an optimized energy storage industry looks like in 2025, defined in the roadmap as ‘Future States’. The roadmap is organized around 15 of these Future States for the electricity system to focus on and are grouped into five categories: Safety, Reliability, Affordability, Environmental Responsibility, and Innovation. Initially published in 2020, the roadmap was created to guide research and track progress in meeting the 2025 vision. Earlier this year, EPRI published an updated version that provides greater detail of the research gaps that need to be addressed to meet the vision’s ambitious goals.
Safety
In the category of safety, the roadmap focuses on: Asset hazards characterized and minimized; Safety hazard practices; and Community resilience and public safety applications viable. From relying on electricity for safety services to protecting workers, first responders and the public during failure events, safety is essential for a 2025 vision.
Electricity Reliability
The next category, Electricity Reliability, looks at: Energy storage asset reliability characterized and enhanced; Energy storage controls integrated and interoperable; and Energy storage integrated into grid planning and portfolio management. An important aspect of reliability requires that the data electric grid operators depend on for operations is available, accurate, reliable, and protected, while having comprehensive grid planning processes that include energy storage.
Economics
In economics, the roadmap looks at ensuring energy storage is reaching its full potential in terms of these key Futures States: Planning and operational modeling validated and applied; Multi-use applications enabled; and Reduced total cost of ownership. The roadmap identifies that economics analysis starts with a strong framework and modeling to plan from.
Environmental Responsibility
A reduced environmental footprint is critical for any truly optimized future, which the roadmap looks at through: Reducing emissions with energy storage applications; Sustainable and equitable life cycle implemented; and End-of-life impacts minimized. Greener energy storage begins with sustainable practices that promote decarbonization and ensure the responsible generation, use, and disposal of resources.
Innovation
Each future state benefits heavily from a common resource: innovation. Within the energy storage roadmap, innovation refers to: Technology advancements accelerated; Future workforce available and trained; and Cross-industry breakthroughs tracked and integrated. By prioritizing cutting-edge technologies and practices – found both inside and outside the electric industry – as well as developing a strong workforce to fill critical roles, electric system operators will unlock the full potential of the energy storage system.
In addition to detailing gaps associated with each future state, the roadmap describes research activities that are either ongoing or planned to address research gaps. Additionally, prior projects and research papers are listed that serve as a resource for interested parties to learn even more specifics
The full Energy Storage Roadmap: 2022 Update is available online. To learn more about EPRI’s efforts in energy storage and distributed generation, visit EPRI.com.