Challenge

In 2023, Maryland’s General Assembly established an energy storage target, becoming the 10th U.S. state to do so. The legislation calls for 3 GW of energy storage to be deployed by 2033, with interim targets for 2027 and 2030. In response, the Maryland Public Service Commission – already engaged in complex rulemakings on multiple fronts – would need to create an energy storage marketplace out of whole cloth. But first, it would need to report important details back to the General Assembly in just a few months – an extraordinarily short timeframe.

Solution

EPDI is working closely with stakeholders and Maryland PSC staff to design a comprehensive energy storage program and achieve deployment targets equitably and cost-effectively, while enabling the PSC to conduct an efficient process involving numerous stakeholders and perspectives. EPDI has used design thinking principles to sidestep historical breakdowns and transform the PSC’s process into an accelerated, collaborative project and build stakeholder understanding and goodwill. With limited PSC staff capacity available to support the working group, EPDI has played a key facilitation role throughout, helping the PSC meet tight deadlines with high-quality results.

Results to date:

• Filed interim report with General Assembly after drastically accelerated process with input from dozens of stakeholders
• Developed project plan identifying clear milestones and technical issues to be addressed
• Built shared understanding and stakeholder alignment around key issues
• Revealed new underlying issues with important long-term implications
• Removed barriers to future energy storage policy development