CASE STUDY

Making Energy Storage a Mainstream Resource Through Our Impact at the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA)

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Opportunity
In 2008, Janice Lin teamed up with Don Liddell to file a petition to make energy storage systems eligible to receive incentives as part of California’s Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP). As a result of this petition, the California Public Utilities Commission confirmed the eligibility of energy storage systems in SGIP – which would end up to be instrumental in kick-starting California’s energy storage industry.

Through this successful advocacy effort, Janice and Don recognized the potential of energy storage technologies and the need for wider, sustained, and strategic advocacy through an industry association dedicated to representing energy storage companies. Janice and Don founded CESA in 2009 to advance the energy storage industry. CESA was managed as a collection of clients until 2015, when CESA was spun off into an independent 501(c)(6) nonprofit association managed by Strategen until 2023.

Approach
Strategen established the mission for CESA to make energy storage a mainstream resource to support California’s grid. Through its core principles of collaboration, technology-neutral competition, and long-term credibility, Strategen has helped CESA grow into a 100+ member association. Specifically, on behalf of CESA, Strategen:

  • Submits and files comments and proposals in various regulatory proceedings and market initiatives.

  • Produces white papers supporting the economic, environmental, and reliability case for energy storage systems.

  • Provides timely, regular, and detailed market and regulatory intelligence to CESA members.

  • Facilitates networking and communications among CESA members and externally with California’s policymakers, regulators, utility executives, and other industry groups.

Results
On behalf of CESA, Strategen created market opportunities for energy storage in California. Some notable accomplishments include successfully advocating for:

  • The passage of Assembly Bill 2514, which later led to the CPUC establishing a 1.325 GW energy storage procurement target

  • A 75% budget allocation for energy storage projects in SGIP as well as other key reforms to make the program favorable to energy storage technologies

  • An expedited energy storage procurement authorization in the LA Basin in response to the limited operations of the Aliso Canyon Gas Storage Facility

  • New CAISO rules allowing for the aggregation of distributed energy resources, including energy storage, to receive wholesale market compensation

  • Flexible resource adequacy rules allowing energy storage to participate in the CAISO’s capacity markets

For more information, visit the CESA webpage.