Energy Storage Siting and Permitting Outreach
Effective, informed engagement in local siting and permitting efforts can ensure that energy storage projects are deployed in ways that maximize benefits and effectively address local concerns.
Image composite by Kelly Machart | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
State and local siting and permitting processes are critical to the successful deployment of energy storage projects. However, these processes are often hindered by a lack of information about energy storage, including best practices in local siting and zoning regulations for energy storage systems, effective steps to ensure local safety, and understanding of local benefits of energy storage.
Since 2023, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), with funding from the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Research and Development, has led work to provide objective guidance to state and local jurisdictions on energy storage siting and permitting considerations. Through this work and related interactions with state and local planners in many jurisdictions, PNNL has gained insight into the challenges that local jurisdictions face when evaluating energy storage and how many jurisdictions have addressed those challenges by imposing onerous limitations on storage projects or by simply banning them outright.