Grid-Scale Battery Storage Is Quietly Revolutionizing the Energy System

This story originally appeared on Vox and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The tricky thing about generating electricity is that for the most part, you pretty much have to use it or lose it. This fundamental fact has governed and constrained the development of the world’s largest machine: the $2 trillion US power grid. Massive generators send electrons along a continent-wide network of conductors, transformers, cables, and wires into millions of homes and businesses, delicately balancing supply and demand so that every light switch, computer, television, stove, and charging cable will turn on 99.95 percent of the time. Making sure there are always enough generators spooled up to send electricity to every single power outlet in the country requires precise coordination. And while the amount of electricity actually used can swing drastically throughout the day and year, the grid is built to meet the brief periods of peak demand, like the hot summer days when air conditioning ... Read full article.