u.s. energy storage summit 2017

We all know lithium-ion gets credit for driving down battery prices through sheer scale and innovation. But is it healthy for the storage industry to be almost entirely beholden to this particular technology? In this panel, we'll dispense with the niceties and hash out the benefits and drawbacks of lithium-ion and some of its top contenders. Bring your sharpest evidence-based opinions.

Steadily falling lithium-ion battery prices are expected to hit hit $180 per kilowatt-hour by 2020, drastically increasing projections for electric vehicles and boosting the potential for storage to replace peaker plants. In this session, we investigate the next wave of storage chemistries and the future viability of alternative technologies, like Toyota’s plan for solid state battery-powered electric vehicles, ARPA-E's ambitious technology initiatives, and prospects for other lithium-based batteries.

Electric vehicle batteries can do much more than move a car around. They can also serve as multipurpose energy storage for the power grid, and continue to perform grid services after they're no longer suitable for transport. This panel will delve into EV battery use cases and the opportunity for business opportunities in this emerging sector.

In 2017, California’s energy markets witnessed an unprecedented summer heat wave, and CAISO prices throughout the year have cleared more frequently than expected at prices higher than the bids of storage-based demand response providers. What were the attributes and lessons learned of a storage market leader in using its software intelligence to aggregate and dispatch customer-sited energy storage in real-time to respond to the utilities’ and customers’ needs? This presentation will delve into measurable evaluation of these events, demonstrating the type of real world multi-use application of storage that is top of mind for utilities, grid operators, state regulators, and FERC.

While battery costs have captivated most of the industry's attention, balance of storage system components and costs represent a key lever to economic energy storage. While cost reduction pathways are more diverse, they are more in the control of individual developers and project stakeholders. Hear from leading players about the next frontier of storage cost reduction and innovation.

Software and controls are a vital part of any storage project, ensuring optimal system performance to achieve project goals. This panel will explore the value software and controls provide, exploring questions concerning both what software has achieved to date and what role it will play in the market's future.

How does energy storage fit into the energy & sustainability planning of large commercial & industrial customers?

Effective financing models were key to the growth of the behind-the-meter solar market, and financing will play a similarly critical role in expanding the behind-the-meter storage market. This session will analyze both the challenges facing behind-the-meter storage financing as well as some examples of achievements made in the space to date, as well as the necessary steps for financing to properly evolve and grow the market of the future.