NC’s energy storage matters now more than ever
A new report by the North Carolina Collaboratory and the UNC Institute for Convergent Science highlights the need for investment.
A new report highlights the urgent need for investment in energy storage to support North Carolina’s rapidly changing energy landscape. As the state faces growing electricity demand from population growth and the emergence of new data centers and their accompanying electricity requirements, energy storage offers a practical solution for balancing the grid while advancing energy goals.
The report, Supercharging Energy Storage Innovations in North Carolina, analyzes North Carolina’s energy storage needs and capacity for innovation through research and development in academia and industry. It makes recommendations for practitioners and policymakers that could supercharge advances in energy storage science and technology.
Funded through the Next Generation Energy program and supported by the North Carolina General Assembly, the report was developed by UNC-Chapel Hill researchers in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences’ chemistry and economic departments.
“Energy storage is the bridge between our current grid and the energy future we envision for North Carolina,” says Gregory P. Copenhaver, director of the UNC Institute for Convergent Science and Chancellor’s Eminent Professor of Convergent Science at Carolina. “Advancing energy storage science and new technologies is a win-win. It’s about building a system that works smarter, cleaner and more reliably for everyone.”
The report shows that energy storage technologies — including both short- and long-duration storage — are essential for managing power generated by intermittent sources like wind and solar, ensuring energy can be used when demand is highest.
“This work, and previous research funded by the Collaboratory, clearly shows energy storage being an essential tool for both today’s and tomorrow’s grid,” says Jeffrey Warren, executive director of the North Carolina Collaboratory. “This report is intended as a strategic road map for policymakers, researchers, and industry leaders to work together to continue building out the requisite energy infrastructure North Carolina to retain its cross-sector economic dominance.”
To provide opportunities for fueling innovation, gaining energy independence and training the modern energy workforce to meet a growing job market in North Carolina, the report offers five key recommendations to accelerate North Carolina’s transition:
- Make better energy data available for North Carolina.
- Enhance investments in long-duration storage.
- Establish mechanisms for basic science researchers to communicate with applied scientists.
- Invest in shared user facilities for energy storage research.
- Invest in metal-ion battery workforce development and innovations, including industry-academic partnerships.
In 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly invested $15 million in the Next Generation Energy program, administered by the North Carolina Collaboratory. The goal is to support university-led research that advances energy technologies and economic development across the state. “Supercharging Energy Storage Innovations in North Carolina” is one of the first major deliverables funded through this program. It provides sound data, modeling and recommendations that utility leaders, lawmakers and energy companies can use when making future decisions.
The report team was led by these UNC-Chapel Hil researchers:
Lead research authors:
- Alexander J.M. Miller, Sustainability Energy Research Consortium director and professor, chemistry department, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
- Jonathan W. Williams, Center for Regulatory and Industrial Studies director and professor, economics department, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
- Andrew Yates, professor, economics department and environment, ecology and energy program, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
Contributing research authors
- Perry Holtzclaw, SERC research assistant
- Daniel A. Kurtz, SERC research project manager
- Alex Marsh, graduate research associate, economics department, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
- Drew Van Kuiken, graduate research associate, economics department, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
- Matthew D. Verber, engineer, chemistry department, UNC College of Arts and Sciences
Project director
- Gregory P. Copenhaver, ICS director
Project managers
- Hailey E. Brighton, ICS associate director of grants and programs
- Sam Seyedin, ICS associate director
