Academy Recommends Database of New York Battery Test Sites
An Academy team completed a needs assessment project for NY-BEST.
Published April 22, 2010
The Academy recently completed a needs assessment project for the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST). NY-BEST is an industry-led coalition of New York energy storage professionals. Their goal is to establish New York as an industry leader in the energy storage sector by accelerating the commercialization of relevant technologies developed in the state.
The Academy was asked to compile and analyze information on the energy storage testing needs and capabilities of New York’s research and business community. A team led by Karin Pavese, the Academy’s Vice President for Innovation and Sustainability, was tasked with determining what the statewide needs and capabilities are for testing batteries for use in cars and heavier duty transportation as well as energy storage devices for the electric grid. Other team members were Jamie Kass, Scientific Program Manager, and Ben Levitan, Program Associate.
In early March, the Academy submitted an assessment to NY-BEST based on reviews of 24 survey responses and 69 research proposals by stakeholders, as well as interviews with more than 40 battery researchers in New York. The Academy recommended the creation of a database for use by NY-BEST members that would identify and describe available capabilities around the state. The Academy also recommended that the state create a new position for a “testing facilitator” who could assist organizations in matching needs with capabilities and identify common unmet needs in the area of battery testing.
Levitan says, “Our goal was to come up with an inventory of the energy storage device testing capabilities in the state and to highlight the needs for particular energy storage testing capabilities. As the project progressed, it became clear that the needs across the state were diverse and divergent, and that a database would be highly useful.” A working prototype of the database, built upon the Academy’s research, is currently available to NY-BEST members.