The boards of directors of the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and the U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA) have voted to pursue a merger of the two trade associations to combine their staff, programs, and members.

ACP launched in 2021 as a new trade association unifying the wind, solar, storage and transmission industries. Previously, ACP focused on just the wind industry as the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). This new merger with ESA will enhance ACP’s efforts to advocate for the economic and environmental advantages of the clean power economy and further position the renewable energy and storage industries for success as they move into a decade of transformative growth.

“Energy storage is foundational to a cleaner energy future for the country.” said, Jim Murphy, President of Invenergy and the Chairman of the board for ACP. “Joining together with ESA strengthens the unified voice of the clean power industry as we continue to transform the US power grid to a low-cost, reliable and renewable power system.”

ESA represents a diverse group of over 200 companies involved in manufacturing, deploying, and operating energy storage systems in the U.S. and around the globe. ESA’s membership comprises the full diversity of energy storage technologies and business models needed for a more resilient, efficient, sustainable and affordable electricity grid.

“Our Board sees the merger with ACP as a powerful new chapter for our industry and a pathway to achieving 100 GW of new energy storage by 2030,” said Kiran Kumaraswamy, the Vice President of Market Applications at Fluence and the Chairman of the Board for ESA. “The ESA Board of Directors is confident that a merger will elevate advocacy, research, and educational efforts on behalf of the energy storage industry, with significant benefits and expanded opportunities for ESA’s staff and membership.”

The merger will take effect on January 1, 2022, subject to final approval from ESA’s members.