Minnesota Legislature prepares for the introduction of energy storage
Legislators in Minnesota have begun the first steps to establishing fair or optimal market conditions for the deployment of energy storage, setting out rules for determining the value of storage to the network.
Last week, five Senators unanimously passed Senate File 100 (SF100) which will set out criteria for utilities to recover the costs of energy storage pilot projects, and through which the state’s investor-owned utilities (IOUs) will need to incorporate consideration of energy storage systems into their long-term integrated resource plans. The bill also calls for cost-benefit analysis of energy storage systems to be conducted.
The bill has moved forward quickly since its introduction to Senate in mid-January, with Senators Michael Goggin, John Marty, Scott Dibble, Julie Rosen and David Osmek passing the bill on 21 February.
The US Energy Storage Association’s CEO, Kelly Speakes-Backman, applauded the Senators for unanimously passing SF 100.
“Thanks to the leadership of Senators Osmek, Rosen, Marty, Goggin and Dibble, SF 100 paves the way for the State of Minnesota to build a robust energy storage market, and a more resilient, efficient, sustainable and affordable grid for all,” Speakes-Backman wrote in a statement.
“The bill’s inclusion of an energy storage cost-benefit study will enable policymakers to determine the optimal deployment levels and applications of energy storage in the State of Minnesota….
