Designing Energy-Storage Policy for Renewable-Rich Power Systems: A Comparative Review of the United States, China, Australia, and Algeria
Abstract
Energy storage is central to integrating variable renewable energy, but deployment alone does not establish system value. This review examines policy combinations and sequences that enable financeable storage services and measurable public benefits, and design functions transferable to Algeria. A structured narrative review and comparative policy analysis assessed 50 scholarly and institutional records for the United States, China, Australia, and Algeria against seven dimensions: legal status, grid and market access, revenue adequacy, investment support, targets and procurement, technical and environmental governance, and system planning and data transparency. Five mechanisms guided interpretation: access, competition, valuation, risk reduction, and accountability. The comparison identifies three mature, non-equivalent configurations: market access with fiscal support in the United States; planning- and target-led expansion with evolving remuneration in China; and bidirectional market integration with competitive revenue underwriting in Australia. Algeria’s renewable expansion lacks a comparably explicit storage-specific legal, remuneration, procurement, or reporting framework in the reviewed record. The article contributes an evidence-linked readiness matrix and a conditional three-stage pathway for Algeria: legal clarification, needs assessment, standards, and differentiated pilots; service-based tenders and regulated revenue contracts; and broader revenue stacking, carbon-aware operation, and circularity after demonstrated performance. Five mechanisms guided interpretation: access, competition, valuation, risk reduction, and accountability. The comparison identifies three mature, non-equivalent configurations: market access with fiscal support in the United States; planning- and target-led expansion with evolving remuneration in China; and bidirectional market integration with competitive revenue underwriting in Australia. Algeria’s renewable expansion lacks a comparably explicit storage-specific legal, remuneration, procurement, or reporting framework in the reviewed record. The article contributes an evidence-linked readiness matrix and a conditional three-stage pathway for Algeria: legal clarification, needs assessment, standards, and differentiated pilots; service-based tenders and regulated revenue contracts; and broader revenue stacking, carbon-aware operation, and circularity after demonstrated performance. The analysis identifies enabling configurations rather than causal effects. Effective policy must recognize storage, value its services, procure verifiable performance, and scale only when operational evidence supports expansion.