Lee Hoffman Comments on Impact of Renewable Energy on Demand for Battery Storage

Pullman & Comley energy, environmental and regulatory attorney Lee D. Hoffman was quoted in “More Clean Energy Will Demand Bigger Battery Storage To Power New England Grid,” a story on WSHU Public Radio about the impact of the increase in renewable forms of energy on the demand for battery storage.  Projects that harness the power of the sun, wind and water generate electricity, and utility-sized batteries could store excess power for when the grid needs it the most.

Lee, who represents energy providers, said states are only starting to adopt energy storage goals and the policies to facilitate them.

“There are a whole lot of systemic reasons why we don't have real battery storage,” he said.

Massachusetts and Maine have fairly modest energy storage goals by 2025. Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, state lawmakers and regulators have three different proposals under consideration, some more ambitious than others. New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont don’t have storage goals yet. In all, fewer than 10 states do.

Lee said another challenge could be how states decide to regulate and value battery storage.

“They bill those batteries as other significant industrial users, like their big factories using electricity,” he said. “And that means that they're paying the most for electricity that they possibly can. And so it's not economical for those batteries to get charged.

“And unless we get there I'm not sure that you can ever fully replace the fossil fueled fired plants unless you're willing to do something radical,” Lee continued.

You can access the full story on the WSHU website.