A model similar to ones used by the investment community to assess the commercial-readiness and long-term viability of emerging products is being developed to evaluate the commercial potential of new and emerging energy storage technologies. “It will let companies know the bar they will have to reach,” Mike Gravely, California Energy Commission deputy division chief of energy research and development, said during a Dec. 1 Energy Commission workshop. Key criteria for evaluating the maturity and longevity of new energy storage technologies include price and cost reduction expectations, as well as competitiveness with alternative technologies, Gravely noted. Investor-owned utilities are required to procure 1,325 MW of energy storage by 2020. Utilities recently issued bids for the first round of storage projects—seeking both independent and utility owned. Earlier this year, Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric launched pilot energy storage projects. Edison is testing over a two-year period a $50 million lithium-ion battery project that is capturing wind energy from turbines in the Tehachapi Mountains. It was connected to the grid mid-summer 2014. PG&E has 6 MW of battery projects at its San Jose and Vacaville substations.
