Functional Requirements for Electric Energy Storage Applications on the Power System Grid: What Storage Has to Do to Make Sense

Widespread use of energy storage on the electric power system grid will require a coordinated effort by technology developers and utilities to ensure that systems are designed to adequately address utility needs. Utilities must understand the technical and cost characteristics of the various technologies being advanced by developers. System providers must offer energy storage systems that meet the requirements that will be placed on those systems. It is that latter objective that has been the central motivation of the project documented in this report.

The project, one element of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Energy Storage Program to accelerate the grid-readiness of energy storage systems, has brought together all of the stakeholders—including utilities, manufacturers, and system operators—to define some of the basic functional requirements for storage owned and operated by utilities, as well as for customer-sited storage systems that may provide value to utilities. The report focuses on the applications of high priority identified by the utility participants...(go to EPRI download page...)