Energy storage comes in many forms – including batteries, hydrogen fuels and pumped hydro – and can be used at residential, commercial and grid scales. The technology is developing rapidly and the availability, functionality and cost of many forms of energy storage technology is improving dramatically.
Energy storage technologies have a critical role to play in the development of an affordable, clean and secure energy system. However, there remains substantial work to be done to modernise Australia’s energy rules to unlock the true potential of energy storage and allow it to fully participate in the market and bring the benefits of the technology to both the grid and consumers more broadly.
The Clean Energy Council developed a policy paper outlining a package of targeted reforms to support the increased roll out of energy storage projects at residential, commercial and grid scales.
The paper recommends 13 reforms across four categories to achieve this, ranging from removing regulatory barriers and rewarding the value of storage behind the meter to protecting consumers and changes that would allow storage to support grid security through its fast frequency response capability.
* Top image credit: Tesla