Rhode Island is the latest state to set targets for energy storage system construction.
Gov. Dan McKee (D) signed the Energy Storage Systems Act into law June 26. It directs the state Public Utilities Commission to adopt a framework for adoption of tariffs to apply to grid-connected energy storage systems, and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank to develop programs and distribute money to help achieve the goals of the act.
It sets a series of targets for installation of storage over the next decade: 90 MW installed by Dec. 31, 2026; 195 MW by the end of 2028; and 600 MW by the end of 2033.
On a per-capita basis, the numbers are much larger than they might appear.
New York’s target is 6 GW — the most of any state, and 10 times higher than Rhode Island’s new target. But New York has nearly 18 times more residents than Rhode Island.
Rhode Island also has the lowest electricity consumption per capita of any state, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The legislation (2024-S 2499A, 2024-H 7811aa) cleared both houses of the General Assembly by wide margins.
“This bill sets concrete goals and action plans to build a resilient grid that can accommodate the green energy transition that is happening now,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dawn Euer (D) said in a June 13 press release. “This is just one of many actions we will need to meet our diverse energy goals and ensure that Rhode Island keeps its commitment to a carbon-neutral future.”
Advanced Energy United cheered McKee’s signature.
“Energy storage is flexible, reliable, affordable and will be a game changer for Rhode Island’s power grid,” said Kat Burnham, the group’s Rhode Island lead. “Investing in energy storage technologies will drive economic development and job creation in the clean energy sector.”
In its March 2024 energy storage policy update, law firm Morgan Lewis listed 11 states with codified energy storage targets: California, Oregon, Nevada, Illinois, Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine and Maryland.
Some states have a long way to go to reach their goals. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported that as of November 2023, there were three categories: California (7,302 MW), Texas (3,167 MW) and the other 48 states (3,500 MW combined).
But EIA predicted 2024 would be a busy year for storage installation, if all plans in place come together on schedule.
Wood Mackenzie earlier this month reported 1,265 MW of storage was deployed nationwide in the first quarter of 2024, much more than the first quarter of 2023 but much less than the fourth quarter of 2023.
Rhode Island’s first utility-scale battery energy storage — a 3 MW system serving the Pascoag Utility District — went online July 7, 2022.
