Welcome to this special episode of Hardware to Save a Planet. Today, we are at the Wings Conference in Portland, Oregon, where Dylan is joined by Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESS for a live panel discussion. Both Powin and ESS are engaged in deploying battery energy storage systems on the grid.
Join us as we delve into the crucial role of energy storage in combating climate change as Mike and John share their insights about their innovative battery energy storage systems and the challenges they face in scaling the industry. We also explore the impact of incentives and regulations on the market and gain valuable insights into the future of clean energy.
The challenges of scaling the industry include the need for more investment, mining capacity, processing plants, and specialized transportation. Additionally, the lengthy permitting and interconnection process delays the deployment of energy storage assets.
— Mike Wietecki
About Mike and John
Mike is responsible for the commercial negotiation and closing of hundreds of millions of dollars of battery energy storage contracts globally. He is an experienced general counsel and chief operations officer with a diverse background in renewable energy, securities, litigation and risk management, M&A, sustainability, regulatory compliance, and operations. His work history includes advising both public and private businesses, ranging from start-ups to multi-billion dollar multinationals.
John is involved in weaving integrated infrastructure and mobility solutions that meet customer requirements while being sustainable, resilient, and economically viable. His fields of play include renewable power generation through microgrids, energy storage, V2X, virtual power plants (VPP), green hydrogen supply and distribution, renewable biofuel supply and distribution, serving passenger and commercial vehicles — both human-driven and autonomous. He is working on optimizing the intersection of user experience, site operations management, and smart energy management.
An intro to energy storage
Energy storage is a really exciting sector of the power industry right now, with huge growth projections. We’re projected to double capacity in the US this year by adding about 15 gigawatts of storage in just one year. It’s also a really important topic for climate change. As we transition the grid to renewables, energy storage will help us level out the intermittency of wind and solar. It will also help us match supply to the variability on the demand side, which is only getting worse as we electrify end uses like heat pumps in our homes.
Want to learn more?
Check out the key takeaways of this episode below. Better still, listen to the podcast!
Key highlights
- 03:35 – An overview of Powin and its utility-scale energy storage systems: Powin is a leading manufacturer of utility-scale battery energy storage systems specializing in lithium iron phosphate cells. They transform commodity cells into sophisticated power plants lasting 2 to 8 hours. With a pipeline of 18 gigawatt hours, they’ve rapidly expanded since their first 9 megawatt-hour deployment in 2017. Mike emphasizes the importance of duration in energy storage systems and highlights how that is a key USP and differentiator for the company. As pioneers in the field, they’re eager to share the lessons learned and contribute to the industry’s evolution.
- 05:02 – Introduction to ESS and their iron flow batteries: Based in Wilsonville, ESS specializes in iron flow batteries for utility-scale solutions, which differ from traditional lithium-ion cells. The iron flow batteries have a longer usable life cycle of up to 25 years with minimal maintenance. They’ve announced multiple gigawatt-hour projects and are focused on gradual scaling through framework agreements. Despite having a 170,000-square-foot facility, the shift to electrification demands an expansion of their facility.
- 09:02 – The role of energy storage in combating climate change: The grid’s electrification requires phasing out carbon-intensive generation and embracing renewables despite their intermittent nature. As demand surges—it’s expected to double or triple by 2050—efforts are underway to expand grid capacity. Storage has emerged as a critical component, evolving from science fiction to large-scale deployment. Initially focused on shorter durations, such as covering peak demand, the market is now shifting towards longer-duration projects. Despite challenges like mining and production constraints, the industry is poised for growth, with trillions of dollars of investment needed. Lessons learned from lithium-ion deployment help address the development challenges of longer-duration energy storage, underscoring the collaborative effort needed to address climate challenges.
Podcast
