More Clean Energy Will Demand Bigger Battery Storage To Power New England Grid

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The push to switch from fossil fuels to renewable forms of energy will mean a lot more demand for battery storage. It’s just part of massive efforts to modernize the electric grid in New England and the nation to meet the challenge of climate change.

The future of renewable energy in New England depends on more projects that rely on harnessing the power of the sun, wind and water. They generate a lot of electricity, and can’t always be turned on and off. The utility-sized batteries of the future could store that excess power for when the grid needs it most — to help shave prices and meet demand without fossil fuels.

“If you’re relying on your battery, you’re not drawing from the system,” said Ann George, spokesperson at ISO New England, the operator of the regional power grid.

She said New England doesn’t have the batteries to match its forecast of clean energy growth yet. “We haven’t gotten to a place where we have batteries at a scale that could cover that,” George said.

Read the rest of the story at WSHU’s website.