The US power grid has added over 20 gigawatts of battery storage since 2020 | TechSpot

The big picture: The rapid scaling up of battery technology is a game-changer for the US energy landscape. As climate-driven disasters become more frequent and severe, and as renewable energy continues to gain traction, battery storage technology is helping to maintain a stable and clean energy source.

There has been an extraordinary increase in battery storage installations in the US over the past several years, a trend that's transforming the nation's power grid. Altogether, the US has added over 20 gigawatts of battery storage capacity to its electric grid since 2020, according to recent data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

To put this into perspective, that's equivalent to the power output of 20 nuclear reactors, achieved in just four years. Even more impressive, 5 gigawatts of this capacity was installed alone in the first seven months of 2024.

The growth shows no signs of slowing down. EIA projections suggest battery storage capacity could double to 40 gigawatts by 2025 if planned expansions materialize.

California and Texas are at the forefront of these implementations. Both states have recently hit all-time highs in battery-discharged grid power by using large-scale batteries to manage their investments in solar and wind energy.

The impact of this growth is already being felt. In California, where summer heatwaves have historically led to power rationing and blackouts, batteries are now helping to keep the lights on. "We can leverage that stored energy and dispatch it when we need it," Patti Poppe, CEO of PG&E, California's largest utility, told Bloomberg.

"It's been extraordinary growth," John Moura, director of reliability assessment and performance analysis at the North American Electric Reliability Corporation told The Guardian.

"It's still technology that we are getting used to working with because the system wasn't designed for it, but from a reliability perspective it presents a golden opportunity. This changes the whole paradigm of producing electricity, delivering it and consuming it. Storage gives us a bit of a time machine to deliver it when we need it."

This shift comes at a crucial time. There is an urgent need for the US and the global community to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors, including power generation. However, the swift expansion of renewable energy sources like solar and wind has introduced new challenges to grid stability.

These clean energy technologies produce variable outputs, creating more frequent fluctuations in electricity supply. As a result, grid operators must implement advanced management strategies to maintain a consistent and dependable power supply for consumers. Batteries have emerged as a key solution, smoothing out the variability in these clean energy sources.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is also monitoring this trend. A recent report identified batteries as "a key source of dispatchable capacity globally." The agency predicts that by 2050, batteries could provide about 40 percent of all short-term electricity flexibility needs worldwide.

However, experts caution that while battery storage is a significant step forward, it's not a complete solution. Longer-duration energy droughts, lasting beyond the capacity of current batteries, remain a challenge. Additionally, a fully clean grid will require massive upgrades to the US electric transmission infrastructure.

Unfortunately, streamlining permit processes for energy projects has become a contentious topic of debate. Proponents say that expedited approvals would accelerate clean energy deployment, while numerous environmental organizations argue that relaxing regulations could inadvertently benefit fossil fuel industries.

Despite these challenges, the rapid growth of battery storage represents a major leap towards a more flexible, resilient, and sustainable energy grid.