Rhode Island § 39-33-4 - Energy Storage Systems Act

§ 39-33-4. Periodic storage assessment and procurement.

(a) Not less than every three (3) years, the commission shall conduct a market survey to assess the capabilities of storage technologies and whether those capabilities have the potential to meet the needs of, or provide net value to, the distribution system or the bulk power system.

(1) As part of its review, the commission shall consider time and location-based constraints on the distribution and bulk power systems, including physical, economic, and environmental constraints that increase costs to the general body of ratepayers.

(2) Transmission level storage, at a minimum, shall include long-duration energy storage systems and short-duration energy storage systems that have peaking capabilities, but may include other applications.

(b) Upon a finding by the commission that storage may meet distribution system or bulk power system needs, or provide net value to the general body of ratepayers, the commission shall direct the electric distribution company with more than one hundred thousand (100,000) customers to conduct a procurement of transmission level or distribution level storage consistent with subsection (c) of this section. This review shall also consider whether any changes need to be made to previously approved storage procurement methods to meet the targets and may be conducted as part of the review of system reliability and procurement in § 39-1-27.7(b). The commission’s findings about appropriate targets and procurement shall be consistent with its least cost procurement standards and that the approved procurement is cost effective, less than the cost of available supply, reliable, prudent, and environmentally responsible.

(c) The electric distribution company shall issue and, subject to review and approval of the commission, select a reasonable, open, and competitive method of soliciting proposals from third parties for one or more services from energy storage projects connected to the transmission or distribution system in front of the meter, including, but not limited to, long-duration energy storage projects, that would achieve the goals in this chapter.