Technology
Supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages slow US battery storage grid connections
Interconnection wait times have stretched to five years as utilities face equipment backlogs and surging demand from data centers.
The short version
- U.S. energy storage installations face severe delays due to specialized equipment shortages, labor constraints, and outdated grid infrastructure.
- Developers are facing median wait times of five years to connect projects to the electrical grid, up from 1.5 years a decade ago.
- Utilities and developers are clashing over upgrade costs and long procurement timelines, leading to project cancellations in major markets like New York and California.
Key facts
- Roughly 750 gigawatts of energy storage projects are currently waiting for grid connections across the United States, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research.[Slashdot]
- The median grid interconnection wait time rose to five years in 2025, compared to 1.5 years in 2015.[Slashdot]
- Consolidated Edison reported a 300% surge in its queue of waiting battery storage projects over the past two years.[Slashdot]
- PG&E told California regulators that procuring specific specialized circuit breakers can require up to four years, threatening delays for over 1,200 megawatts of regional storage capacity.[Slashdot]
- A trade group survey reported that Consolidated Edison's infrastructure cost-sharing rules added an average of $21 million per project, prompting the cancellation of at least 25 developments.[Slashdot]
What remains uncertain
- It is uncertain how many of the 750 gigawatts in the interconnection pipeline will ultimately reach completion given increasing developer abandonment rates.[Slashdot]
- It remains to be seen whether New York state regulators will intervene to alter Con Ed's infrastructure cost-sharing requirements following developer appeals.[Slashdot]