In 2019, New York passed the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act), which codified some of the most aggressive energy and climate goals in the country, inc. Energy storage technologies and systems are regulated at the federal, state, and. On June 20, 2024, the New York Public Service Commission approved the Order Establishing Updated Energy Storage Goal and Deployment Policy. This Order formally expand.
Should energy storage be included in the electric grid?
Integrating storage in the electric grid, especially in areas with high energy demand, will allow clean energy to be available when and where it is most needed. As New York continues to invest and build a cleaner grid, energy storage will allow us to use existing resources more efficiently and phase out the dirtiest power plants.
Energy storage technologies and systems are regulated at the federal, state, and local levels, and must undergo rigorous safety testing to be authorized for installation in New York. You can download NYSERDA's New York State and New York City factsheets to learn more about energy storage regulations and safety in your community.
Will energy storage change the dynamics of a grid?
With widespread grid failures on this scale, energy storage would have to make up a much larger share of system capacity than it currently does to change the dynamics, although it can respond to sudden system fluctuations by providing ancillary services, like frequency and voltage regulation.
This Order formally expands the State's goal to 6,000 Megawatts of energy storage to be installed by 2030, and authorized funds for NYSERDA to support 200 Megawatts of new residential-scale solar, 1,500 Megawatts of new commercial and community-scale energy storage, and 3,000 Megawatts of new large-scale storage.
While decisions carried out by federal regulators and regional market operators have an impact on state energy storage policy, state policymakers—and state legislators in particular—are instrumental in enacting policies that remove barriers to adoption and encourage investment in storage technologies.
States are also developing expert task forces and committees to evaluate storage technologies and opportunities for growth. Maine, for example, enacted HB 1166 (2019) creating a commission to study the benefits of energy storage in the state's electric industry.