Bloomberg Markets news reported that U.S. regulators have leveled the playing field for batteries and other forms of energy storage, voting unanimously to eliminate market barriers for those technologies.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday finalized a rule that will let energy storage compete against power plants and other resources in wholesale power markets. Under the rule, technologies such as batteries and flywheel systems can be used by grid operators to dispatch power, set energy prices and offer capacity, energy and ancillary services.

“Our job is not to pick winners and losers,” Chairman Kevin McIntyre said before the vote, adding that the final rule will ensure all resources are allowed to compete fairly. Integrating storage into markets will enhance grid resilience, he said...

Malcolm Woolf, vice president of Advanced Energy Economy, which promotes clean energy, urged the commission to move forward on the matter, saying distributed energy resources “deserve the same opportunity to compete on the basis of price and performance.”

See the full Bloomberg Markets story here.

Energy trade press also covered the news and AEE's perspective with stories at Energy Central here, Renewable Energy World here; and AltEnergy Magazine here.