During National Clean Energy Week, ESS Inc., Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, and US Energy Association Release Briefing Detailing the Need for LDES to Deploy Renewable Energy Effectively
Wilsonville, Oregon and Washington, DC – September 28, 2022 – ESS Inc. (NYSE: GWH), a leading manufacturer of long-life iron-flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications , in partnership with Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) Forum and the United States Energy Association (USEA), today released a briefing note detailing the critical need for long-term energy storage (LDES ) to create an efficient, low-carbon energy system and avoid the reduction of renewable energy resources.
As policymakers and energy leaders gathered to celebrate National Clean Energy Week, the organizations released the brief that analyzes grid operator reduction data nationwide, illustrating the mismatch between renewable energy supply and grid demand and demonstrating the need for long-term energy storage to decarbonize the energy system.
California provides a case study: in 2021, solar accounted for 17% of the state’s utility-scale generation, with wind accounting for 8%. State grid operator California ISO curtailed about 1,400 GWh of utility-scale solar power and nearly 80 GWh of wind power in 2021, for a total of just over 1,500 GWh – enough to power nearly 220,000 California homes for a year. In the first half of 2022 alone, the state curtailed nearly 2,000 GWh of solar power and nearly 90 GWh of wind power.
On an average afternoon in August 2022, energy production within CAISO emitted approximately 233 mTCO2/GWh. At this rate, if the 1,500 GWh of solar and wind energy reduced in 2021 had been stored for later use, more than 350,000 metric tons (mTCO2) of carbon emissions could have been avoided. This is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of more than 76,000 passenger vehicles.
“Wind and solar energy deliver on the promise of clean, low-cost electricity whenever the sun shines or the wind blows,” said Eric Dresselhuys, CEO of ESS. “As we enter the next chapter of the clean energy transition, accelerating the deployment of long-duration energy storage will be critical to building a reliable, resilient and affordable clean energy economy that delivers clean energy around the clock. /24 and 7 days a week.”
“Energy storage fills the gap when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. The ability to cost-effectively store large amounts of electricity that can be discharged over long periods of time when needed will be critical to ensuring a cleaner power grid remains reliable and affordable,” said Heather Reams, CRES Forum President. “The CRES Forum brief highlights the critical need for long-term energy storage (LDES ) to maximize the use of renewable energy resources, enable the reduction of carbon emissions, and ensure that clean energy can more reliably feed into the grid.”
“USEA is pleased to participate in this important briefing alongside ESS Inc., a major USEA member, and the CRES Forum. Accelerating the implementation of long-duration energy storage systems is a critical part of the global energy transition,” said USEA Acting Executive Director Sheila Hollis. “The ability to store large amounts of energy for long periods of time is essential to ensure the resilience and reliability of electricity generated by renewable sources. It is essential that we continue to develop our renewable energy infrastructure and that the deployment of long-duration energy storage systems should be a top priority in this mission.”
The brief, titled “Long-term energy storage: the key to getting the most out of carbon-free electricity,” is available for download from the ESS website here.
About USEA
The United States Energy Association (USEA) is a non-profit, non-political, non-lobbying organization founded in 1924. USEA’s mission rests on two equally important pillars. USEA serves as a resource by bringing energy stakeholders together to share policy, science and technology information to drive the advancement of the entire energy sector. Internationally, USEA promotes energy development by expanding access to secure, affordable, sustainable, and environmentally acceptable energy in partnership with the U.S. government. For more information, visit www.usea.org.
About the CRES forum
The Citizens Forum for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) is a nonpartisan, 501c(3) nonprofit organization committed to educating the public and influencing the national conversation on clean energy and climate change. For more information, visit cresforum.org.
About ESS, Inc.
At ESS (NYSE: GWH), our mission is to accelerate global decarbonization by providing safe, sustainable and long-lasting energy storage that powers people, communities and businesses with clean, renewable energy at all times. and wherever they are needed. As more and more renewable energy is added to the grid, long-lasting energy storage is essential to provide the reliability and resilience we need when the sun isn’t shining and the wind is blowing. not.
Our technology uses the earth’s abundant iron, salt and water to provide environmentally friendly solutions capable of providing up to 12 hours of flexible energy capacity for commercial and large-scale energy storage applications. ladder. Founded in 2011, ESS Inc. enables project developers, independent power producers, utilities and other large energy users to deploy long-lasting, reliable and sustainable energy storage solutions. For more information, visit www.essinc.com.