Polaris Solar Photovoltaic Network News: The further spread of the epidemic may cause short-term delays and troubles to distributed energy projects, but some industry insiders believe thatDistributed energy storageand other systems demand will remain stable and will even grow in the long run.

(Source: WeChat public account "WeChat Lithium Battery" ID: V-lidian)

The entire energy storage industry has felt the impact of the epidemic. A survey of 175 members by the Energy Storage Association (ESA) in March showed that 62% of respondents encountered project delays, while 37% expected the delay to last six months or more. Others have not yet realized how long their projects may be stalled.

As of last Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 68,400 confirmed and suspected cases in the country, with 994 deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic will also cause widespread economic turmoil, with analysts believing that the energy industry, in particular, will face a decline in demand, supply chain disruptions and possible regulation stagnation.

The outbreak of the epidemic is not all negative. Experts believe that the outbreak and a series of restrictions imposed by countries to prevent the spread of the epidemic may stimulate interest in providing a flexible and self-sufficiency distributed system. Wald of Holland & Hart Consulting believes that when people are forced to isolate themselves, they are more likely to understand the limitations of existing energy systems. The pandemic is a clear example of how scarce the energy system is. "Whenever there are wildfires, hurricanes, or major power outages, demand for residential solar and energy storage is always increasing," another analyst said.

In the short term, distributed energy storage may have an impact, including backlog of licensing, interconnection and procurement delays. Economic turmoil may slow spending and could lead to supply disruptions. But in the long run, the disruption may actually drive up demand for distributed energy storage as well as solar energy across the country.

According to experts, once states recover from the impact, the demand for distributed energy storage and renewable resources may also expand, as they are more automated than traditional power plants. In this case, utilities and regulators will have great value with less human intervention and a wider and digital network.