California, the sun-soaked state, has used batteries to help power through its recent heat waves.
During the summer months, California's temperatures reached 110 degrees or higher in some regions. While these temperatures have proved problematic for the state in the past, California had a new addition to its power grid this year: battery packs.
According to Tech Xplore, California has been building battery storage in various deserts around the state, including areas around Palm Springs.
In just five years, battery storage has increased seven times. One of the newest facilities with Tesla batteries can store enough electricity to power around 136,000 homes.
These battery packs are key to solving the renewable energy problem. The issue with energy created by the wind and the sun is that these sources are not always consistent — sometimes, there is no wind, and the sun doesn't shine all day.
However, with the battery packs, energy captured by solar farms during times of sunshine or wind farms on blustery days can be stored for use when conditions are less favorable.
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This significantly helps the city because it allows the power grid to keep up with demand, especially during heat waves when energy consumption is higher than normal. The battery packs did so well this year that the state did not have any power shortages, disruptions, or flex alerts asking people to reduce their power consumption.
"It's definitely been a game changer in improving reliability," Elliott Mainzer, president and CEO of California Independent System Operator — an agency that manages the state's power grid — told Tech Xplore.
With the success of California's battery packs on the grid, experts are excited to see the adoption in more states.
"Only a couple of years ago, nobody was talking about batteries on the grid. California really demonstrated for the first time how beneficial they can be," said Mark Jacobson, a professor of environmental engineering at Stanford University.
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Not only does the battery pack lead to more reliable energy, it also helps reduce reliance on dirty energy that causes excess pollution — which warms the planet. Overall, as more technology develops, the goal is to be 100% reliant on clean energy to power our lives.
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