Batteries in California have just broken another record, discharging 29.52 GWh of energy into the grid on Monday. They were the largest source of supply for two hours with output peaking at over 7 GW.
Output records have been tumbling in California the last couple of months, where batteries have emerged as the dominant source during the evening peak. They are flattening the duck curve and reducing the need for gas. The contribution of gas to the evening peak has on average been halved compared to the same period last year.
Their advance has been rapid - five years ago the record was just 120 MW.
California currently has over 10.3 GW of installed battery capacity, with another 3.8 GW planned to come online by the end of 2024. That may sound like a lot, but the California Energy Commission estimates the state will need around 52 GW of battery storage to meet it's 2045 target of getting all its power from carbon-free sources.
Batteries will play an important role in the decarbonised grid of the future, but are yet to make significant inroads into the mix in most places. In Australia we have just over 2 GW of battery capacity, and they still represent only a small (but growing) fraction of the mix.
With continued improvements in battery energy density and cost, as well as new chemistries, more and more batteries will be deployed to support the grid, whether as stationary storage or as EV batteries via V2X. We are just on the cusp of much more widespread adoption.
Onwards and upwards!
