Remember when energy storage was that nerdy cousin of solar panels everyone forgot to invite to climate tech parties? GTM Energy Storage 2017 changed all that. This watershed year saw battery systems evolve from science fair projects to grid superheroes – and I’ve got the receipts to prove it.

The Storage Market’s Growth Spurt

2017 wasn’t just a good year for energy storage – it was the equivalent of drinking three Red Bulls at a tech startup pitch meeting. GTM Research’s data shows the U.S. market:

• Doubled deployments from 2016 (221 MW to 431 MW)
• Saw residential storage costs drop 15% annually
• Witnessed Tesla’s Powerpack outmuscling coal plants in speed dating competitions

California Dreamin’ (With Batteries)

The Golden State accounted for 38% of 2017 deployments. Their secret sauce? A perfect storm of:

• Wildfire prevention mandates
• Time-of-use rate shenanigans
• Utilities realizing batteries could prevent “Oops, we blacked out 1 million people” moments

Technology Breakthroughs That Made Engineers Swoon

While lithium-ion dominated headlines like a Kardashian at Met Gala, 2017’s real story was diversification. We saw:

• Flow batteries lasting longer than most Hollywood marriages (8-10 hours discharge)
• Thermal storage systems using molten salt like some Tony Stark prototype
• First commercial-scale compressed air storage that didn’t sound like a bad sci-fi premise

Pro tip: The 2017 Lazard report revealed something shocking – solar+storage projects were already beating natural gas peakers on cost in some markets. Take that, fossil fuels!

The Policy Shifts That Changed Everything

2017’s energy storage market boom didn’t happen by accident. Three policy power moves:

1. FERC 841: The “Let Storage Play Too” Rule

This wonky regulation forced grid operators to stop treating storage like that one kid picked last for dodgeball. Suddenly, batteries could earn money from:

• Frequency regulation (grid’s metronome)
• Capacity markets (energy insurance policies)
• Peak shaving (like Weight Watchers for electricity demand)

2. State-level Storage Mandates

Massachusetts and Oregon joined California’s storage party with their own targets. It was like states were competing in Storage Olympics – who could set the most ambitious goals while keeping utility execs from having panic attacks.

3. ITC Extension Surprise

Though primarily for solar, the federal Investment Tax Credit’s extension created a golden window for solar-storage hybrids. Developers suddenly cared about batteries like hipsters care about artisanal toast.

Corporate Moves That Shook the Industry

2017 saw more corporate drama than a Bravo reality show:

• Tesla’s South Australia 100MW battery project – completed faster than most people finish their Netflix queue
• GE entering storage with Predix platform – because what’s sexier than industrial IoT?
• German storage firm Sonnen outmaneuvering utilities like David vs. Goliath (if David used smart inverters)

Fun fact: Southern California Edison’s 2017 storage procurement included a 20MW system sized to match the exact output of a retired gas plant. Coincidence? Hardly.

Lessons From 2017 That Still Matter Today

While analyzing GTM Energy Storage 2017 data feels like reading an ancient scroll now, its insights still bite:

• Markets with value stacking (think storage as Swiss Army knife) outperformed others 3:1
• Early adopters who paired storage with solar saw 22% higher ROI
• Utilities that resisted storage got stuck with more stranded assets than Blockbuster in 2007

The Chicken-and-Egg Paradox Solved

2017 proved something crucial – falling prices drive deployments, which drive more price drops. It’s the renewable energy version of “If you build it, they will come,” except with fewer baseball fields and more battery racks.

What 2017 Got Wrong (Spoiler: Lots)

Not every 2017 prediction aged like fine wine. The industry whiffed on:

• Vehicle-to-grid timelines (Still waiting, Nissan)
• Zinc-air battery commercialization (Spoiler: Still not mainstream)
• How quickly utilities would embrace behind-the-meter storage (Old habits die harder than Windows XP)

But here’s the kicker – 2017’s misses created today’s opportunities. The storage race is a marathon, not a sprint. Unless you’re Tesla in South Australia – then it’s a 100-day dash.

Download Why 2017 Was the Year Energy Storage Finally Went Mainstream [PDF]

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