Location

The Markle Foundation, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, 16th Floor New York, NY 10020 

Doors open at 9:15

From hydro dams holding up the potential energy of an upstream reservoir to alkali batteries in a boom box to the hydrogen fuel cells in the command module on the Apollo Missions, storage has been one of the star players in the energy game for a long time. The electric grid was designed so that energy put on the grid can be used at a nearly instantaneous rate of consumption. This has meant that energy use on the grid requires the same or more input of power onto the grid in order to supply the demand. The great challenge faced by utilities is managing the grid load so that power supply mirrors that consumption. If there is a shortage of power supply, the grid fails and isn’t reliable, but if there is an oversupply, the surplus is wasted. This makes efficiency the goal of all utilities and grid management organizations. 

Distributed Energy Storage (DES) could enable utilities and grid users to retain power that would otherwise be lost.  It could also keep the grid up and running in case of an undersupply, which would change the face of energy distribution.  But is DES realistic?

This roundtable will address the energy storage market, its growth potential, and business market rollout. How will the energy storage market fit in with the smart grid market? Who are the key players and what are the key technologies in the energy storage game? What are the main obstacles in market growth and technology rollout? How can the industry and companies best position themselves to maximize growth potential? Which technologies have a history in the market space and how have they adapted to uncertain market outlook in the past?