Energy Storage Equity and Environmental Justice

Where energy data meets people and place. The power system is the largest machine on the planet. As with any large and complex system it benefits some people and places more than others. In the last two decades, researchers have begun to consider how inequitable distribution of costs and benefits are built into power systems around the world. Disadvantaged communities have higher levels of energy burden, lower hosting capacity for PV, and, in some areas, have more and longer power outages; just to name a few. New transformative technologies such as batteries can either exasperate or help to alleviate existing inequities. This panel will be an honest discussion of the complexities of energy storage equity through both technology and policy lenses. We will try and answer practical questions for how decisions by utilities, regulators, and technology developers can and will impact different communities differently. The panelists will introduce their own research focuses and will then discuss what comes next and how to get involved. Attendees will leave with a better understanding of the issues and cutting edge research in the field.