Solar energy covers a large portion of California’s energy needs during the day, and batteries now power a significant portion at night.
NY Times: Since 2020, California has installed more giant batteries than anywhere else in the world except China. They can absorb excess solar energy during the day and store it for use at nightfall.
These batteries play a central role in California’s electricity grid, partially replacing fossil fuels in the evening. Between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on April 30 for example, batteries provided more than a fifth of California’s electricity and, for a few minutes, it pumped out 7,046 megawatts of electricity, the equivalent of the output of seven large nuclear reactors.
Electricity deregulation in California got off to a rocky start, but note that it is paying off today, as prices are low at midday when the sun is shining and rise in the evening. Electricity companies take advantage of the use of batteries to arbitrate these price differences. So, power companies have been willing to make huge investments in battery technology.
