Without energy storage, this variability strains the grid, risking blackouts or wasted energy. Based on the 2022 North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Long-Term Reliability Assessment,3 the combination of growth in peak demand and retirements suggests a need for more than 100 gigawatts (GW) of new capacity by 2032. In general, five categories of resources are expected to be. Why does wind power generation need energy storage? 1. Variability of wind energy production makes storage essential, 2. In fact, the time is ripe for utilities to go “all in” on storage or potentially risk missing some of their decarbonization goals.