How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution
These might look like shipping containers in the desert, but they are actually the key to unlocking a clean energy revolution. Across California, installations of mega batteries store power from renewable sources and distribute it when people need it most. The sun provides most of California’s electricity during the day. But it is a different story at night. Batteries provide the answer. Soaking up excess solar power . . . . . . they discharge energy as the sun sets and demand rises. It is a model that could become a blueprint for power grids across the globe. Vast battery units are shoring up grids and extending the use of clean power As the evening drew in on a sweltering mid-August day in 2020, California’s strained electricity grid buckled. Amid an intense heatwave, surging power demand — amplified by soaring air conditioning use — forced the state’s grid operator to initiate two days of rolling blackouts. An inability to meet demand during the evening peak led to more than 800,000
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