Barriers and Challenges
As the energy efficiency landscape is continually changing, several factors play into the ease at which these measures are adopted by the end users.
Top 3 barriers and challenges to evaluating energy storage solutions for C&I customers:
Top Three Barriers:
- Group gatekeepers sometimes do their job “too well” and prevent leader evaluation of beneficial solutions.
- Locational and regulatory differences (affecting storage valuation, tariffs and restrictions) can cause some confusion among those investigating options.
- Financing for technology and project development can be restricted to only the most veteran efficiency technologies.
Solutions to the Highest Voted Barriers
A survey was put forth to the industry partners to identify the largest barriers to adoption. Here are the results of the highest voted Barriers:
Barrier: First Demonstrations Dilemma
Suggested Solutions:
- Provide incentives to commercial or other partners (willing to locate the demo)
- Provide higher funding levels.
- Encourage state/federal collaborations
- Utilize government backstopping power to leverage private financing (loan guarantees)
- Identify/facilitate site selections
Barrier: Locational/regulation (value of storage) data availability
Suggested Solutions:
- Need to encourage DPU to back and support proposed grid modernization plans and data collection
- Locational value assessment for identifying market opportunities
Barrier: Lack of Financing
Suggested Solutions:
- Collect and use carbon tax
- Find strategic partners.
- Create a RPS equivalent for energy storage
- Augment efficiency programs to support peak load reduction
- Offer investment tax credits
- Augment InnovateMass funding (and/or create storage-specific funding program)
- Offer standard energy storage contracts/agreements and provide model templates.