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The United States Energy Information Administration (“EIA”) issued a September 5th report titled:
Batteries are a Fast-Growing Secondary Electricity Source for the Grid (“Report”).
The source of the data utilized in the Report is from EIA’s 2023 Annual Electric Generator Report and the July 2024 Electric Generator Inventory.
Pairing or collocating batteries with renewable energy generators is increasingly common.
Utility-scale battery storage is often described as any type of battery storage with the capacity of a few MW and upwards. Such batteries are typically collocated with:
- Distributed grid assets.
- Transmission grid assets.
- Or localized commercial and industrial applications.
They are designed to enable greater distribution and utilization of renewable energy if there is no generation, or the grid is unable to use the power at the time it is generated.
Utility-scale battery storage systems typically consist of the following components:
- Battery cells.
- Battery management system.
- Power conversion system.
The September 5th EIA Report states that utility-scale battery energy storage systems have in recent years been growing quickly as a source of electric power capacity in the United States.
The Report notes that in the first seven months of 2024, operators added 5 gigawatts (“GW”) of capacity to the United States electric power grid. This contrasts with 2010 in which only 4 MW of utility-scale battery energy storage was added in the United States.
20.7 GW of battery energy storage capacity is stated to be available in the United States in July of 2024.
A copy of the EIA Report can be downloaded here.
