As power demand rises and grid reliability becomes a concern, battery storage is becoming a key consideration in development, zoning, and impacts on the environment. What was once viewed as niche infrastructure is now a core component of modern energy and real estate strategy.
This is especially true in California, where aggressive clean energy targets, increasing peak demand, and outages are accelerating the need for storage at both the grid-scale and site level.
Across jurisdictions, we’re seeing battery projects drive new conversations:
⚫️ How should energy storage be zoned?
⚫️ Where does it belong within industrial, commercial, or mixed-use areas?
⚫️ How can projects balance resiliency benefits with community, safety and environmental concerns?
For developers and property owners, battery storage is unlocking new value from existing sites. Underutilized land, parking areas, and industrial parcels are being re-evaluated—not for traditional development, but for their ability to support storage. These projects can generate revenue while strengthening local grid resilience and supporting future development around them.
Battery storage is also changing the environmental review process. When planned correctly, storage can reduce peak demand, limit the need for new transmission infrastructure, and align closely with municipal sustainability and climate goals. That alignment is helping projects move forward where traditional development might face resistance. This means that community outreach is essential to successful storage development. Transparent engagement, clear communication and a willingness to listen to local concerns are critical to building trust and delivering projects that work for the grid and the neighborhoods they serve.
Communities, tenants, and investors want confidence that power will be available when it’s needed most. Battery storage can be a vehicle that provides that assurance, shifting energy from a vulnerability to a strategic asset. At EPD Solutions, we’re working at the intersection of energy storage, zoning, environmental strategy, and community outreach to help projects succeed in a rapidly evolving regulatory and market landscape.