Last week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a notice of inquiry (NOI), looking into proliferating small and sometimes privately-owned energy storage devices.

John R. Norris, FERC commissioner, addressed the NOI in this statement on June 16. He said he was particularly interested in storage technologies that can provide multiple services to the electricity grid and the wholesale electricity market. These storage devices, he said, could lower costs for consumers and address multiple problems facing the grid in an age of increasing challenges:

Given the significant potential benefits of storage technologies, the Commission should strive to ensure that our regulatory policies foster, rather than inhibit, their growth

“The increased penetration of renewable resources on the grid, the need to update our aging infrastructure to accommodate new demands, and the pressure that environmental regulations will put on existing generation – these drivers are bringing significant change in the electricity sector.

“With that change will come associated costs to consumers, and for that reason, we should be looking at any and all potential solution to help us manage this change in an efficient and sustainable way.

“Storage technologies, if more fully developed and utilized, hold great promise to help us efficiently address these challenges and hold down costs to consumers…

“Given the significant potential benefits of storage technologies, the Commission should strive to ensure that our regulatory policies foster, rather than inhibit, their growth.”