Rhode Island recently took a monumental step toward committing to a green future. The newly passed Energy Storage Systems Act is a great example of state-based legislation taking the right steps toward a healthy future for all.
According to What's Up Newp — a Newport news outlet — the Energy Storage Systems Act was signed into law June 26, with the purpose of enabling an affordable, renewable energy grid through more energy storage capacity. The act "sets concrete goals and action plans to build a resilient grid that can accommodate the green energy transition," stated state Senator Dawn Euer, per the news outlet.
Also included in the legislation are requirements of the Public Utilities Commissions to adopt a framework for "the adoption of electric rate tariffs to apply to energy storage systems connected to the electric grid." The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and the Office of Energy will oversee and fund projects that will help meet the key milestones of storage capacity for renewable energy projects, reported WUN.
The Energy Storage Systems Act is highly beneficial to energy transition in that it holds Rhode Island accountable for implementing energy storage infrastructure to ensure affordable clean energy can be used in the most efficient way possible.
The adoption rates of renewable energy like solar and wind can be reliant on how well it can be stored. The American Clean Power Association noted that energy storage "enables us to produce clean energy when it's abundant, store it, and send it back to the electricity grid when needed."
When states take the lead in creating legislation like this, it benefits energy users as it makes clean energy more accessible and affordable. The Rhode Island legislation follows in step with the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act by working to not only produce more clean energy, but also ensure that clean energy is efficiently embedded into existing energy infrastructure so that it is easy to access and affordable, per the Department of Energy. More clean energy means a healthier and safer environment for all.
Rhode Island Representative Arthur Handy commented on the new legislation, per What's Up Newp: "This legislation is critical to both take advantage of the renewable energy we have to bring online and to build a sustainable grid in the face of severe storms and other effects of climate change."
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