The Storage Gap – Deployment Challenges in the East

Battery energy storage system (BESS) deployment has accelerated over the past decade, but installations remain highly concentrated in Texas and California, where unique interconnection processes and supportive policies enabled scale. In contrast, Eastern markets like PJM, MISO, and SPP lag despite growing demand and reliability pressures.

This investigation validates the initial hypothesis that this lag is primarily attributable to systemic, regulatory, and market design limitations rather than a lack of developer interest or technological viability. Enhancements to policy factors including market design, interconnection processes, and procurement practices, and planning and modeling approaches may very well determine the future of BESS across these regions.

Related Client Project:

The Storage Gap - Deployment Challenges in the East

EFG contributed to a collaborative paper that assesses battery storage deployment in Eastern U.S. markets and proposes preliminary pathways for reform in market, interconnection, modeling, and procurement processes.

Related Team Members:

Anna Sommer

Anna has more than 15 years’ experience working on a wide variety of energy planning related issues, with a primary focus on integrated resource planning (IRP).

Chelsea Hotaling

Chelsea specializes in grid modeling using integrated resource planning and resource adequacy tools.

Nina Peluso

Nina is an experienced energy policy practitioner, operations leader, and systems modeler. At EFG, she supports resource planning, ratemaking, and siting cases, among others.