The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada established biennial targets for NV Energy Inc.'s procurement of energy storage systems, starting at 100 MW by the end of 2020 and increasing to 1,000 MW by the end of 2030.

In accordance with a state law passed in 2017 as Senate Bill 204, the targets in the regulation the PUC adopted March 12 are goals, not mandates. The regulation also establishes the types of energy storage systems that may be used. S.B. 204 was passed with support from NV Energy after lawmakers clarified that they were requiring the commission to set targets, not requirements, for electric utilities to procure energy storage systems and then only if doing so would provide ratepayers with more benefits than costs.

The regulation requires NV Energy, a Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary, to consider the targets in its integrated resource plans. The biennial targets basically are for incremental increases of 200 MW.

Even before the regulation was passed, NV Energy began taking actions to support the expansion of solar-plus-storage projects in Nevada as the combination of low-cost solar farms and lithium-ion batteries spur development of large projects in the state. Those actions include reaching a deal with Google LLC for a 250-MW to 280-MW storage project and entering into contracts for an additional 590 MW of battery storage.

NV Energy filed a draft regulation with the commission in September 2019 after working with the state Bureau of Consumer Protection, Able Grid Energy Solutions Inc., Tesla Inc., the Energy Storage Association, Western Resource Advocates and other parties.