California's Energy Storage Road Map

California is a big state with even bigger energy needs. That means many of its green and sustainability goals appear daunting, but the technology is there. What will it take for California to go carbon neutral? Storage. It may be a bit more complicated than that, but energy storage will certainly play a vital role in the state’s mission to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2045. The SB100 legislation passed in 2020 has meant that the state is taking a closer look at creating an actionable road map to get to zero. Along the way, they’ll need to invest and grow their renewable energy production, reduce use, improve efficiency, as well as be able to store energy to meet fluctuating demand. According to the recent study commissioned by the California Energy Storage Alliance, California will need to develop long-duration energy storage capacity between 45-55GW in order to meet the state’s energy needs. That’s a huge number, but there are some important benchmarks along the way that should help keep progress on track. In just a decade, the state will need to aim for anywhere between 2 and 11GW of long-duration energy storage, a tall order, but accomplishable with the right investment and prioritization. California’s public utilities authority has broken it down even further, with 9.98GW needed by 2030, leaving less of a margin for error. One of the key elements of any discussion of long-duration energy storage is a coherent definition. For these studies, long-duration technology ranging from 5 to 100 hours were all considered, which contributed to the wide-ranging forecasts of the 2030 benchmark. Still, if the state can hit that mark, there’s also a tremendous benefit for the planet, including taking approximately 10GW of energy produced by fossil fuels out of the grid and out of the skies. Energy storage will continue to play a central role in the discussion of meeting carbon neutrality goals at every level, and we’re committed to investing and developing that technology with the microgrids we’re creating for our clients. No matter the scale, the idea is simple; let’s use what we have to save money and save the planet.Want to learn more about energy storage at your facility? Let's talk.