Agenda

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

8:00 - 9:00 am
Registration and Welcome Coffee

9:00 - 9:30 am
Opening Keynote Address




9:30 - 10:00 am
Energy Storage Opportunities, Applications and Deployments

According to the Department of Energy, annual global deployments of stationary storage (excluding pumped hydro) is projected to exceed 300 GWh by 2030, representing a 27% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for grid-related storage and an 8% CAGR for use in industrial applications such as warehouse logistics and data centers. The largest markets for stationary energy storage in 2030 are projected to be in North America (41.1 GWh), China (32.6 GWh), and Europe (31.2 GWh).* This presentation examines the current opportunities, market drivers and challenges facing stationary energy storage in the U.S., with particular focus on the midwest. We will examine key applications and business opportunities for sector stakeholders in the region going forward.







10:00 - 10:30 am
The Progression and Challenges of Grid Integration of Energy Storage Systems

Energy storage systems (ESSs) can accommodate an extensive variety of functions, rendering them a viable solution to enhance grid resilience and enable further penetration of renewables on the grid. However, the current capital cost, cycle life and efficiency of storage technologies, although improving, remain shy of the threshold of single application use cases making economic sense. At this point, only stacked applications operation can offer economic feasibility. Stacked benefits can be achieved through manipulation of the active and reactive power capabilities of ESSs to achieve multiple value streams and maximize total benefit while maintaining operational efficiency such that battery life is not being compromised. While control techniques are progressing in strides, the practice of identification of points on the electrical system where the need for such functionality is greatest, remains immature. This presentation provides an overview of the following:

• Methodologies deduced by Duke Energy to identify grid tied BESS needs on the grid
• Accurately modeling performance and degradation of grid-tied BESS projects in the development phase
• New and upcoming BESS architectures Technical Challenges of Islanding

10:30 - 11:00 am
Networking Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:30 pm
Renewables and Energy Storage System Policies

This session will discuss current regulatory and policy climates for renewables in the Midwest, with an eye toward recent trends and developments that have important implications for energy storage in the region. One such development is Illinois' Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) -- a nation-leading clean energy law that provides significant incentives for solar plus energy storage projects. We will also look at forthcoming FERC Order 2222 and its anticipated widespread impact on distributed energy resources, including renewables and energy storage. Finally, the session will examine the ability of ISOs and RTOs to accommodate hybrid storage projects, where market structure development stands, and technical differences in market participation options and strategies for AC vs. DC-coupled grid-scale systems.

















12:30 - 1:30 pm PDT
Lunch Break

1:30 - 2:15 pm
Advancing Energy Storage Deployment and Integration Through Industry Collaboration

Energy storage is among the fastest growing segments of the electric power industry, with nearly a TWh of storage projected to be deployed this decade. Energy storage technologies continue to advance rapidly and national and state/provincial rules governing the deployment of energy storage systems are still emerging. This rapid development leads to gaps in understanding and procedures, driving the need for accurate and common approaches of how to proceed. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) established the Energy Storage Integration Council (ESIC) to advance the deployment and integration of energy storage systems through open, technical collaboration. ESIC convenes and facilitates discussion among utilities, storage developers, technologies suppliers, researchers, regulators, and other stakeholders to address technical and operational issues associated with deploying energy storage systems. ESIC develops and publishes a variety of publicly available guides that support safe and effective energy storage integration. This presentation will highlight current industry challenges related to deploying energy storage and provide an overview of some of the tools ESIC has developed to help address those challenges.





2:15 - 3:00 pm
Critical Industry Standards for DER Communications

Presenting the key industry communications standards: What they are, why they are important and how you can implement them. As the solar + storage industry continues phenomenal growth, distributed energy resources (DER) are moving from pilots to production, as a result, utilities are looking to standardize communications to lower costs, allow repeatability and replaceability of DER units. Gone are the days of a few manufacturers dominating the space. Now grid coordination is key. Also, large solar + storage inverter-based resource plants are interconnecting at the transmission level, deemed "Dispersed Generation" by NERC -- What standards are rising for this marketplace?

Essential communications elements will be covered for these Standards: IEEE 2800, IEEE 1547, UL 1741, MESA-DER, MESA Device, SunSpec Modbus, IEEE 2030.5, OpenADR and linkages with the international standard IEC 61850.






3:00 - 3:15 pm
Networking Coffee Break

3:15 - 4:45 pm
Renewable Energy Project Siting Issues and Best Practices

In order achieve ambitious clean energy goals at the state and federal, numerous new community solar and other renewable energy projects must be built across the U.S. In siting new projects, it is possible to adopt planning strategies that optimize ecosystem enhancement and conservation -- while delivering economic and community benefits for all stakeholders involved. This session will discuss the various factors and approaches to renewables siting that can lead to win-win scenarios as the ramp-up to increased renewables gains steam in the Midwest and nationally.





















4:45 - 5:45 pm
Drink Reception
Wednesday, July 13, 2022

8:00 - 9:00 am
Morning Coffee

9:00 - 9:30 am
Deploying Energy Storage as Transmission Assets

This session will cover the topic of using energy storage as transmission assets, including the characteristics that make the technology a promising tool for addressing grid issues and the policy that enables this. As an example of this application, the conversation will include a review the development of the first "Storage as Transmission Only Asset" in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator footprint - American Transmission Company's Waupaca Area Storage Project in Wisconsin -- and efforts to enable storage as transmission to also possibly provide market services.






9:30 - 10:00 am
Advances in Organic Redox Solid-Flow Battery Technology

Currently, the energy storage market is dominated by lithium ion batteries, supported by scale-up of portable electronics and electric vehicle markets. While valuable, lithium ion has limitations in large-scale energy storage, specifically its cost structure, safety risks, supply chain vulnerabilities, and environmental impacts. This session discusses progress in commercializing organic solid-flow battery technology for medium and long duration energy storage applications. The use of organic molecules is inspired by nature's evolution to store energy most efficiently, and the result is energy storage with high performance, low cost, and superior safety, which uses abundantly available and recyclable organic materials.

• Drivers of energy storage technology needs
• Key performance attributes of organic solid-flow technology
• Technology and commercial readiness
• Target applications

10:00 - 10:30 am
New Opportunities and Potential for Pumped Storage Hydro in the Midwest

Pumped Storage Hydro can work in the Midwest if we use underground voids as the lower reservoir -- like Abandoned Underground Mines, or PSHAUM. This Midwest-specific grid-scale energy storage tech has been studied at the IUPUI's Lugar Center for Renewable Energy since 2016. This work was a winner of a F.A.S.T. Award by DOE. Last year, the Center joined with Carbon Solutions, LLC (Bloomington) on a DOE-funded SBIR Phase 1 techno-economic study. Learn how this clever re-use of low-value land can provide energy arbitrage, plus grid voltage services. It is cheaper than batteries, and greener besides.



10:30 - 11:00 am
Networking Coffee Break

11:00 - 12:30 pm
Storage Technology Advances and Business Models















12:30 - 1:30 pm
Lunch Break

1:30 - 2:30 pm
Community Solar in the Midwest: Directions Forward

Community Solar is one of the fastest growth sectors of the renewable energy industry. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, 4.6 gigawatts of community solar have been installed in the U.S. through 2021, and the next five years will see the U.S. community solar market add more than 4.3 gigawatts of total capacity. Not only is it popular with consumers who want access to affordable renewable energy but also with regulators and policymakers, as it gives access to renewable energy to low and middle income consumers who might not otherwise have access to sustainable clean energy. In addition, Community Solar can usually be deployed much more rapidly than utility scale solar due to its smaller footprint, and a more streamlined approval and interconnection process. This session will discuss the growth of Community Solar in the Midwest and how it fits into the broader vision for decarbonization of the electricity industry.