Energy Storage Legislation Can Enable Clean, Resilient Energy for MA and Accelerate Grid Modernization

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Energy Storage Association (ESA) urges Massachusetts House and Senate leaders to include the energy storage provisions of Senate Bill 2400 in their Conference Committee report. Massachusetts is a beacon for the clean technology and energy industries, leading ambitious grid modernization efforts and spurring continued advancements in clean energy technologies that have created nearly 100,000 jobs. With the Commonwealth's goals for clean energy deployment and grid modernization, significant energy storage will be needed in the near future, and the Commonwealth will secure its leadership in the advanced energy economy by including storage in forthcoming legislation.

"We applaud the leadership in the Massachusetts State House for drafting legislation that is an important step forward in the state's clean energy economy – ensuring a more flexible, reliable and efficient electric grid," said Matt Roberts, Executive Director of the ESA. "Including energy storage provisions from the Senate bill will ensure that households and businesses get the greatest benefit from a reliable electric grid that can more easily adapt to the changing needs of our modern economy."

The Energy Storage Association also delivered to House and Senate leaders a letter of support for the energy storage provisions of S. 2400 and defining the value of storage to Massachusetts, co-signed by a coalition of companies representing a diversity of electric sector stakeholders.

Today, Massachusetts is home to a number of innovative energy storage companies and hosts one of only three such industrial clusters in the United States. Energy storage systems create substantial economic benefit, both by allowing utilities to avoid and defer costly investments in infrastructure and capacity and by increasing the ability of utilities to host and integrate more distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar. Storage provides vital backup power to customers and critical facilities during outages, and it helps utilities become more resilient. And when the grid is operational, storage gives households and businesses unique flexibility to choose how and when they use electricity, allowing them to manage energy costs with greater certainty.

"Now is the time to invest in the growing energy storage industry in Massachusetts and make electricity more reliable, affordable, and clean. We urge the legislature to pass a bill that includes energy storage and continues driving innovation and economic development within the Commonwealth and ensures its position as a leader in the advanced energy economy."

About Energy Storage Association

The Energy Storage Association (ESA) is the trade association for the energy storage industry and the leading voice for companies that develop and deploy the energy storage technologies we rely on every day. ESA's mission is to promote, develop and commercialize competitive and reliable energy storage systems for use by electricity suppliers and their customers. With more than 180 member organizations, ESA members represent a diverse group of entities, including electric utilities, energy service companies, independent power producers, technology developers deploying advanced batteries, flywheels, compressed air energy storage, thermal storage, pumped hydropower, supercapacitors, and component suppliers, such as power conversion systems.

More information is available at: www.energystorage.org

CONTACT: Matt Roberts, ESA
(202) 580-6282 // [email protected]

SOURCE Energy Storage Association