Through focus groups in three California communities — Orange and Ventura counties, the Central Valley, and the Central Coast — Data for Progress and the Reliable Grid Project examined Californians’ attitudes on the growing battery storage industry in the state. 

This research identified low existing awareness of battery storage projects among Californians, and high variability in views of battery storage’s potential to address the California grid’s most pressing challenges.   Local perspectives on utility-scale battery storage were largely informed by existing views of major California utilities — like PG&E and SoCal Edison — in light of increasing electricity rates and high-profile wildfire incidents in recent years, as well as by personal experiences with household renewable energy technologies, like rooftop solar and home battery storage systems. While Californians in communities that have seen high deployment of battery storage were optimistic that battery storage may offer cost savings and reliability benefits, they also worried that savings won’t actually be passed down to consumers, given years of rising electricity prices.   

These focus group findings identified opportunities for battery storage advocates to tap into Californians’ familiarity with household renewable energy technologies when sharing information about the benefits, costs, and risks of utility-scale battery storage. They also highlighted how distrust of utility providers in the state will require strategic engagement efforts to assuage community concerns about potential utility bill or wildfire risk impacts from battery storage projects. Furthermore, this research identified effective, trusted sources of information on energy issues and avenues for resolving concerns or tensions around proposed battery storage projects.