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Pune, India: The Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA) has appointed Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, Executive Director of India Energy Storage Alliance, as its new Chair. The appointment was announced at the GESA board meeting held this month during Energy Storage North America in Pasadena, California, USA. Dr. Walawalkar replaces Janice Lin of the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA) who served as chairperson since the organization’s inception.

GESA was co- founded in 2014 by six regional energy storage alliances including U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA), California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA), Germany Energy Storage Association (BVES), India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE). It was founded with a goal of advancing education, collaboration, knowledge and proven frameworks about the benefits of energy storage globally and how to incorporate it into the electric power system in a cost-effective way.

Over the past four years, GESA has worked to foster collaboration among key stakeholders including policy makers, utilities, renewable energy community, financial institutions and environmental organizations. In 2014, GESA facilitated international collaboration between California and Germany.  In 2015, the members of GESA worked with International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to hold four international stakeholder meetings that led to the launch of IRENA Energy Storage Roadmap in 2015. In 2016, the alliance selected MICRO- Microgrid Initiative for Campus and Rural Opportunities, by IESA as a flagship initiative to advance energy access. In 2017, GESA released a white paper on Utility Procurement Best Practices to summarize common considerations and best practices in utility energy storage procurement in the United States.

GESA observes 22^nd September as World Energy Storage Day to highlight the importance of energy storage in the power sector and its potential and impact on the sustainability of global energy resources. In 2017, GESA organized a webinar to provide a global energy storage market update covering US, Germany, China and India. In 2018, members of GESA arranged a series of events in the US, China and India to help increase awareness about energy storage amongst key policy makers.

Speaking on the appointment, Dr. Rahul Walawalkar, Executive Director, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) said, “It’s a privilege for us to be appointed as the chair of GESA.  As a Chairman of GESA, I would like to build on the strong foundation laid in the past four years under the leadership of Janice Lin. I will strive to enhance collaboration within GESA members and various international agencies working on various aspects related to energy storage technologies. I look forward to growing GESA’s reach to include various national associations that have been formed in the past four years so that they can benefit from the experience and learnings from GESA’s founding members.”

Ms. Janice Lin, Co-Founder and Executive Director, California Energy Storage Alliance states, “GESA is in capable hands with Dr. Walawalkar. I look forward to supporting the organization as we work diligently to support the energy storage industry around the globe. GESA’s work has never been more important, as energy storage is a gamechanger to achieve a more affordable, reliable and cleaner power sector globally.”

About India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA):

The India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) was launched in 2012 to assess the market potential of Energy Storage Technologies in India, through an active dialogue and subsequent analysis among the various stakeholders to make the Indian industry and power sector aware of the tremendous need for Energy Storage in the very near future. IESA aims to make India a Global Hub for research and manufacturing of advanced energy storage technologies by 2020. During past years IESA membership has grown from 5 to 70+ and covers verticals from Energy Storage Manufacturers, Research institutes & universities, Renewable Energy companies and Power electronics companies.  IESA website: www.indiaesa.info

About Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA)

The Global Energy Storage Alliance (GESA) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization founded in 2014 whose mission is to advance education, collaboration, knowledge and proven frameworks about the benefits of energy storage and how it can be used to achieve a more efficient, cleaner, reliable, affordable and secure electric power system globally. GESA was jointly founded by the California Energy Storage Alliance (CESA), the German Energy Storage Association (BVES), the China Energy Storage Alliance (CNESA), the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the US Energy Storage Association (ESA), and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE).

GESA website: http://www.globalesa.org/

About Customized Energy Solutions (CES)

Established in 1998, Customized Energy Solutions is an energy advisory and service company that works closely with Clients to navigate the wholesale and retail electricity markets across the United States and globally, including India, Japan, Canada and Mexico. CES offers software solutions, back office operational support, and advisory and consulting services focused on asset optimization and energy market participation efficiency. CES is also a third-party asset manager of approximately 10,000MWs of renewable and conventional generation resources across all ISOs in the United States and Ontario, Canada. CES empowers clients to achieve their goals by helping them navigate the evolving energy markets, complex market rules, and new energy technologies entering the markets.