Nominations Now Open for Energy Storage North America 2014 Innovation Awards

BERKELEY, Calif., May 22, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Energy Storage North America (ESNA), the most influential gathering of policy, technology and market leaders in energy storage, is seeking project nominations for its 2014 Innovation Awards. In addition to its annual Innovation Awards, recognizing excellence in energy storage project development, this year ESNA has introduced the ESNA Champion Award to honor the efforts of individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the field of energy storage in 2014. ESNA Award winners will be honored at the 2014 ESNA Awards Ceremony on October 1, 2014, during the Energy Storage North America Conference and Expo at the San Jose Convention Center. The deadline to submit projects for an ESNA Innovation Award is July 1, 2014. To nominate a project, please complete this form, and submit it to awards@esnaexpo.com, or visit http://esnaexpo.com/awards. The ESNA Advisory Board will nominate the Energy Storage Champions and the winners will be announced on October 1, 2014.

"The goal of the annual ESNA Awards is to celebrate excellence in project development and to recognize the policy and utility leaders making energy storage a mainstream resource for a cleaner, more efficient and reliable electric power system," said Janice Lin, Managing Partner of Strategen Consulting and Co-founder of the California Energy Storage Alliance. "Last year's Innovation Award winners showcased the depth and diverse geographies of energy storage projects across North America. This year, with 1.325 GW of energy storage procurement confirmed by the California Public Utilities Commission, along with the May 5, 2014 request for proposals issued by The Hawaiian Electric Companies for 60 MW to 200 MW of energy storage, and several other markets following closely behind, we expect new applications enabled by new revenue streams to be deployed on the grid. We look forward to celebrating the project teams and individuals who are driving adoption of this critical new asset class."

About the ESNA Innovation Awards: Focus, Criteria and Voting
In 2013, ESNA honored four projects that demonstrated commercial traction and opportunity in the North American market: Notrees Wind Energy Storage, Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) Thermal Energy Storage Program, Santa Rita Jail Smart Grid, and Grid on Wheels. This year the Innovation Awards will focus on projects that leverage energy storage to connect to multiple value streams in three categories: utility-scale, customer-sited (commercial, industrial, or residential), and mobility (electric vehicle charging, and surrounding infrastructure). ESNA Innovation Award nominees are selected through a rigorous process that evaluates innovative projects based on customer value proposition and project impact, as well as services supplied to the grid; financing model; ownership model; safety and security; and technology. To be eligible, a project must be a stationary or transportable grid energy storage system, installed and fully operational on or before August 1, 2014. When the finalists are announced, the Innovation Award process will include public voting as part of the selection process.

"Last year, ESNA debuted a fantastic event. EV Grid and our partners were excited to receive the ESNA 2013 Innovation Award in the mobility category. With the California energy storage targets in place, we look forward to sharing what we've been working on. ESNA 2014 will be the place where energy storage, policy, and technology leaders meet to move the industry forward," said Paul Stith, Director of Business Development & Regulatory Affairs at EV Grid.

About the ESNA Champion Award: New Award Honoring Individual Achievement
ESNA created the Champion Award to recognize an individual who has shown leadership and dedication to the advancement of the energy storage market in North America, through significant contributions to the policy and/or technology sectors. Nominees will be submitted to the ESNA 2014 Advisory Board for a vote and the winners will be announced during the ceremony.

Registration for ESNA 2014 is now open; register by July 18 to receive an early bird discount.

About Energy Storage North America
Energy Storage North America is part of the Energy Storage World conference series, which also includes Energy Storage Europe, Energy Storage China, Energy Storage India, and the new Energy Storage Summit Japan. ESNA 2014 is produced by Messe Düsseldorf in association with Strategen Consulting and the California Energy Storage Alliance.

For further information about Energy Storage North America 2014, please E-mail: info@esnaexpo.com. Visit our web site http://www.esnaexpo.com; Subscribe to our blog at http://www.esnaexpo.com/blog; Follow us on twitter: @EnergyStorageNA.

SOURCE Energy Storage North America (ESNA)