Energy Storage Partnership CalCharge Gets First Utility Member

Southern California Edison (SCE) has joined CalCharge as the first utility member, the independent public-private partnership said on Oct. 15 at the Energy Storage North America conference.

The University of California, San Diego also joined the partnership, which has about 25 members, including Duracell, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Toyota.

CalCharge works to accelerate the development, commercialization and adoption of energy storage technologies for the consumer, transportation and grid markets.

“The California Senate just passed a law upping the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, and better batteries are integral to meeting this new goal,” Danny Kennedy, president of CalCharge, said, according to a statement from CalCharge. “The resources and expertise at [SCE] and UC San Diego are a valuable addition to the CalCharge family and bring us closer to building a new economy where clean energy is maximized – and is affordable and accessible to everyone.”

The California Public Utilities Commission in October 2013 established an energy storage target of 1,325 MW for SCE, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and San Diego Gas & Electric by 2020, with installations required no later than the end of 2024.

SCE last year said it will purchase 260 MW of grid-connected energy storage capacity from five vendors. The purchase exceeds the minimum energy storage purchase mandate by 210 MW.