US clean-power advocacy bodies the American Clean Power Association (ACPA) and the Energy Storage Association (ESA) have announced they will merge next year as both industries move into an era of transformative growth driven by federal government climate-change policymaking.
The planned merger brings together more than 800 ACPA member companies across a range of technologies such as solar, transmission and wind with over 200 firms involved in deployment, manufacturing, and operation of energy storage systems globally.
ACPA will be the name of the combined entity which still requires final approval from ESA members.
“Energy storage is foundational to a cleaner energy future for the country.” said, Jim Murphy, ACP board chair and president of Invenergy. “Joining together with ESA strengthens the unified voice of the clean power industry as we continue to transform the US power grid to a low-cost, reliable and renewable power system.”
ACPA was launched in January 2021 following a merger with the American Wind Energy Association, which had been the national lobby for the US wind industry for more than three decades.
“Our board sees the merger with ACP as a powerful new chapter for our industry and a pathway to achieving 100GW of new energy storage by 2030,” said Kiran Kumaraswamy, ESA board chair and vice president of market applications at Fluence.
He said ESA board members are confident that a merger will elevate advocacy, research, and educational efforts on behalf of the industry.
President Joe Biden is asking Congress for at least $3.5trn in climate-related funding this decade to accelerate clean energy investment and create a domestic supply chain in related areas such as batteries, electric vehicles and grid infrastructure.
