Mega wattage news for the energy storage industry

A recent article by Scientific American detailed plans by Arizona’s utility service company to install more energy storage in the coming six years than a combined total ever built in the US before 2018.

This is mega-wattage news for the energy storage industry. 850 megawatts of energy has been recently proposed by Arizona Public Service Co. (APS), a Phoenix-based utility company.

A recent report by Wood Mackenzie Power & Renewables details the growth in the US storage industry as nearly doubling in 2018, with another expected hike in 2019. With 777 MWh of grid-connected energy deployed nationally in 2018, this represents an 80% increase on 2017.

APS company spokespersons have hailed batteries as the way forward for energy storage, and this is exciting news for the various battery technologies already involved in utility and renewable energy storage projects. 

So why is battery storage so vital for renewable energy? Renewable sources such as wind and solar have long been constrained by their natural occurrence: wind farms only generate energy when the wind blows, and solar panels only generate electricity when the sun is shining. 

Combining renewable energy generation with battery storage means intermittent production is not a constraint. Instead, surplus power is stored in batteries for readily available use when it is cloudy or not windy enough.

Advanced lead batteries have long played a significant role in renewable energy storage projects across the globe. In the US, they support a number of diverse projects providing reliable and cost-effective energy for a range of purposes. Find out more by visiting our newly launched Interactive Map.

A long-standing technology, lead batteries are known for their technical performance, reliability in extreme temperatures, and lowest cost out of all storage battery technologies. 

With collection and recycling rates of 99% in North America, lead batteries provide a complete sustainable solution for the transition to a cleaner, greener way to generate energy.