Harbor Research Dispatch October 16, 2026 · Issue 41 Storage infrastructure / October Project announcements, grid-connection research, and equipment supply updates. This month’s reading for the grid storage outlook. Three sources look at the same kind of project from different stages: an independent research sample, a developer, and an equipment supplier. They agree that batteries are no longer the hard part. They differ on what comes next. Research · Fieldline Research Storage expands. Grid access sets the pace. Fieldline’s project sample shows planned storage rising from 8 GWh in 2024 to 12 GWh in 2025 and 18 GWh in 2026. Developers name the connection queue as the main schedule constraint for 62% of the 163 projects. The chart shows planned capacity in the sample, not completed installations; the methodology note explains how projects are counted. Read the outlook Developer · Cedar Grid Storage development: from pipeline to connection A 43-minute conference session with a full transcript. Dana Whitcomb, Cedar Grid’s head of development, on why a ready battery does not mean a ready grid connection, and why transformer delivery becomes the next critical path after approval. Read the session transcript Supplier · Vale Systems Vale Systems: storage equipment supply outlook A 12-page PDF from an equipment supplier. Transformer lead times reach 18 months in Vale’s sample, while battery enclosure lead times are down to five months. Page 9 covers schedule risk after connection approval. The sample covers equipment delivery only. Download the PDF Also this month Interconnection queue status: third quarter 2026 (Midland Grid) 214 standalone storage requests, 41.6 GW, a third of the queue. Average wait to agreement: 34 months. Battery cell prices fall again, but storage projects still wait on the grid (Gridwire) Cell prices are down 19% in a year. Fieldline and Vale differ in emphasis on what holds projects back next. Vale Systems to add a second power transformer line at Carver Point (Vale Systems) Capacity rises from 60 to 105 large power transformers a year. First units in the second half of 2027. Nora Halvorsen Editor, Harbor Research Dispatch Harbor Research Dispatch is a monthly reading list from Harbor Research. You are receiving it because you follow the storage infrastructure track. Reply to this email to reach the editor. Fictional page for product demonstrations. Names and figures are invented.