Nevada soon could become the sleeper hit of the energy storage industry.
There’s nothing much to see if you look at installed capacity right now — it’s literally zero. But a handful of major projects have already been approved that will change that situation rapidly.
Major utility NV Energy has three battery plants totaling 100 megawatts slated to come online in 2021. Another 590 megawatts are approved and on their way for 2023, which would shoot Nevada to the top three utility-scale storage markets that year, based on current projections from Wood Mackenzie.
Whether or not this is evidence of a healthy market springing up is a matter of debate. The major projects all flow through regulated utility NV Energy, the Berkshire Hathaway-owned company that serves four-fifths of the state. The utility sees the value of cheap desert solar power, and recognizes a need to store it for more valuable dispatch in summer peak hours, when Las Vegas air conditioning hits maximum velocity.
Source: Greentech Media
