When the state experienced an electricity crisis during an August 2020 heat wave, rolling blackouts ensued on multiple days, leaving many Californians in the dark, without power for cooling and other essential needs. No electricity grid in history, anywhere in the world, has seen anything like this. Batteries provided about 4% of supply during the peak demand, which averted rolling blackouts. on that Monday, when the threats of mandatory blackouts were at their greatest, the state’s batteries pumped 2,000 megawatts or more continuously into the grid - a full three hours of grid-saving power. 5, when the grid was quickly approaching capacity, California’s batteries provided more power - over 3,360 megawatts - than the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, the state’s largest electric generator, which tops out at 2,250. ![]() But early this month, these batteries went from being everyday workhorses to crisis saviors.ĭuring a critical peak the evening of Sept. They also play a big part in leveling wholesale energy prices by charging up when electricity is cheap - usually during the midday “solar peak” - then discharging the energy back to the grid later that day, when prices are higher, a practice that keeps the market in check and reduces energy costs for Californians. Altogether, California’s batteries are now its biggest power plant.įor the vast majority of the year, these batteries play an essential role in stabilizing the grid, smoothing power flows and balancing variable energy. And California has more batteries than anywhere else in the world, having grown its fleet more than 10-fold in just the last two years. In fact, some of the biggest batteries literally occupy the real estate and buildings that once housed fossil-fueled generators. These are not small add-ons to our electricity grid - they play the role of major power plants. Many are installed at utility-scale solar fields, while “standalone” systems are strategically located throughout the state. Individual units weigh tens of thousands of pounds, and entire systems can be larger than a football field. The batteries that saved California are big - industrial big. To be clear, the batteries that saved California this month are not like the ones in your phone, tablet and laptop, or even the bigger batteries in some homes ready to provide power during outages. But without storage capacity from new battery systems, reducing demand might not have been enough, and many consumers would have faced painful outages. And just as important, batteries are key to the zero-carbon future we need to avoid even greater stresses down the line.Ĭalifornians delivered big time this month when asked to cut use at critical moments during the crisis. But after this round, California has a clear lesson for the world: Battery storage is a powerful tool for grids facing new strains from heat, cold, fire, flood or aging networks. Additional tests lie ahead, for California and other states and nations.
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