Battery Energy Storage Systems in California
The recent battery fire at Moss Landing has garnered significant media attention and launched a debate regarding the safety of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in California communities. At the same time, deploying battery storage is a critical component of the state’s climate and clean energy goals. Scott Murtishaw, Executive Director of the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), will address these concerns and talk about what the industry is doing, along with the regulators, to ensure rigorous safety standards.
About Our Speaker:
SCOTT MURTISHAW serves as Executive Director of the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA) where he helps lead reforms to its organizational structure to better serve members in the future. Scott is a recognized leader in the energy industry, bringing to CESA extensive experience at two other leading energy generation and storage trade associations and at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).
Before stepping into his leadership position at CESA, Scott was the Policy Director at the Independent Energy Producers Association (IEPA). At IEPA, Scott briefed members on policy developments, facilitated member consensus on policy positions, and prepared comments for the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) on resource adequacy, integrated resource planning, and wholesale market rules for generation and storage. Scott also advocated for IEPA’s positions with legislators and staff.
Prior to his role at IEPA, Scott was the Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs at the California Solar & Storage Association (CALSSA). In addition to his advocacy role, Scott collaborated with other trade associations and advocacy groups to formulate campaign strategies using his negotiation skills to advance many issues of importance to the association. Scott was CALSSA’s subject matter expert for media outlets on net energy metering, customer storage, and utility rates. Before transitioning into the trade association community, he was the Energy Advisor to the President at the CPUC, where he led the development of the CPUC’s policies on distributed energy resources, rate design, and several other issue areas.
