California's residential batteries scale up, Voltus reports daily dispatches

Can the U.S. get out of its own way? We’re entering the most electricity-intensive era in our history. AI, advanced manufacturing, EVs, and digital infrastructure all depend on a grid that can handle more, respond faster, and recover smarter. Yet, just as demand surges, we’re seeing a pullback on the very policies and systems that could support that future. A few takeaways from a recent Foreign Affairs Magazine article: • Peak electricity demand is projected to grow 18% in 10 years. That’s like adding California, Texas, and New York to the grid • Half of our electric infrastructure sits idle at any given time • The interconnection queue is now double the size of the current grid. Projects are waiting years just to plug in • Federal incentives for wind and solar are being rolled back, even as prices and outages increase There’s a persistent belief that clean energy systems are more fragile, but the reality is that they’re more dependent on intentional design. For instance, when engineered thoughtfully using tools like flywheels, grid-forming inverters, and battery storage, these systems can be just as resilient as legacy power systems. In fact, by incorporating modern forms of inertia and control, they often become more responsive, more modular, and more precise in how they meet demand. We don’t need to pretend renewables can do everything. But we also don’t need to keep protecting outdated systems at the expense of the ones that can move us forward. The future grid isn’t about choosing one tool over another. It’s about designing systems that use all the tools we have. https://lnkd.in/gdbja4rU

🔋California's Virtual Power Plant: When Every Home Becomes Part of the Solution🏠 A remarkable achievement just proved what's possible when communities come together for grid reliability. California's virtual power plant dispatched 539 MW from over 100,000 home batteries during a July test event - equivalent to a major natural gas peaker plant, but cleaner and smarter. The Brattle Group reports this Demand Side Grid Support program could save ratepayers $206 million by 2028 while strengthening our energy system. By aggregating behind-the-meter batteries, a distributed power plant is created that responds instantly to grid needs, reduces reliance on fossil fuel peakers, and puts communities at the center of our clean energy transition. However, this innovative program faces funding uncertainty after recent budget cuts. With potential to grow beyond 1 GW of capacity, these distributed resources represent exactly the kind of grid modernization our hometowns need. We have the technology and the participation, now we need the commitment to scale solutions that deliver for communities while serving our planet. What role do you see distributed energy playing in your community's resilience strategy? How can we better connect individual actions to collective grid benefits? #VirtualPowerPlant #GridResilience #CleanEnergyForAll #PGEPurpose #DistributedEnergy Ryan Hledik, Kate Peters https://lnkd.in/gwyijCUf

Round The Clock Clean Power is waiting to be the game changer! -Wind blows intermittently. - Water flows intermittently. - Even the sun sets. When we rely solely on nature, power supply becomes intermittent too. That’s why Round-the-Clock (RTC) power — enabled by battery storage — is critical for a stable, reliable grid in a renewable-powered future. But here’s the question: Why hasn’t the RTC power concept seen the success it promises? Despite the clear need, widespread adoption is still limited. Is it due to: High cost of storage? Regulatory hurdles? Market design favoring traditional power? Lack of long-term incentives? We need answers — and action. Because without RTC solutions, the clean energy transition risks stalling. What do you think is holding RTC power back? #EnergyTransition #BatteryStorage #CleanEnergy #RTCpower #Renewables #GridStability #SustainableFuture #PowerSector

Our electricity grids are facing a traffic jam. Congestion is turning clean energy dreams into costly bottlenecks. The good news? Decentralised solutions like CHP and Gas-to-Power bring efficiency, resilience, and flexibility right where energy is needed most. In this EHP Magazine feature, my colleague Stefan Liesner, Head of Marketing & Public Affairs at 2G Energy AG, explains why local energy generation could be the key to a smarter, more reliable grid. Read the full article here: Grid Congestion: A Global Energy Challenge #EnergyTransition #GridResilience #CHP #DecentralisedEnergy #Sustainability

The grid is no longer a one-way street. As electrification of heat, transport, and industry surges, so too does the need for low-voltage networks to handle two-way power flows from rooftop solar, batteries, and EVs. This is no longer a future scenario. It’s happening now. NEx from Third Equation is built specifically to handle this complexity—optimising voltage, balancing loads, and bringing real-time intelligence to the grid edge. Read Part 2 of the full report: Grid Edge Technologies and the Evolving Power Grid 🔗 Link in comments #EnergyTransition #LVGrid #GridEdge #SmartInfrastructure #ThirdEquation

US Battery Storage: From Megawatts to Market Discipline Battery energy storage has rapidly shifted from niche to necessity. Nowhere is this more evident than in California and Texas. By the end of 2024, CAISO operated 12.5 GW of utility-scale batteries (up from 1 GW in 2020), while ERCOT surged to 10 GW from just 0.5 GW. Together, they account for 65% of US grid-connected BESS capacity. Yet, their growth paths diverge. California’s build-out is policy-driven, anchored by 4-hour Resource Adequacy mandates, while Texas operates in a pure merchant market—rewarding agility but exposing projects to price volatility and transmission bottlenecks. The industry’s next chapter is clear: duration now matters more than raw megawatts, siting and transmission access define winners, and operational discipline is critical to protecting returns. The future of US storage lies in balancing policy, performance, and profitability. #energystorage #bess #cleanenergy #california #texas #energytransition https://lnkd.in/gvdwYQ-i

#Microgrids and #distributedenergyresources can reduce the need for transmission lines and transmission-scale generation, which lowers costs. A new coalition wants to deploy more of them to address cost increases driven by increasing loads from #datacenters, #AI and #electrification. Katherine Hamilton Lorenzo Kristov Sunrun Advanced Energy United Vote Solar Institute for Local Self-Reliance Pivot Energy https://lnkd.in/eFNKBYxX

“There are technologies out there that could benefit consumers right now, but consumers don’t know about them and don’t have access to them.” Katherine Hamilton, Acting Executive Director at Common Charge, featured in a recent Microgrid Knowledge article. At Common Charge, we’re on a mission to make #energy more affordable and accessible: more #distributedassets mean more savings for more people. Thank you to Lisa Cohn for the wonderful story — check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/egYMKff2

Energy industry experts are raising awareness that the explosive electricity demand - "load growth" - utilities are currently experiencing can't be met by grid expansion alone. Adaptive, dynamic grid management technologies will be needed to proactively manage load across the grid, especially in energy growth areas like Texas, where the proliferation of data centers and other large load customers is leading to changes in both state government policy and business strategy. Read more: 🔗https://ow.ly/KIOj50WSf5L #LoadGrowth #GridManagement #EnergyInnovation #TexasEnergy #FactorThis

SPP launches Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (ERAS) to fast-track grid reliability: The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has launched its Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (ERAS), a crucial step to address near-term reliability challenges and accelerate new generation additions to the grid. What you need to know: - One-time process: ERAS is a separate, one-time study to meet anticipated resource adequacy needs for 2030, bypassing the standard interconnection queue. - Technology-neutral: While the process is technology-neutral, gas-fired plants and battery storage are expected to be key beneficiaries, given their capabilities to be brought online quickly and balance the grid. - A bridge to the future: This initiative serves as a bridge solution, mitigating acute reliability risks while the industry continues to develop broader, longer-term interconnection reforms. As demand for electricity grows and the generation mix evolves, ensuring grid reliability and stability is paramount. ERAS provides a much-needed, innovative solution to bring new resources online faster.   #SPP #ERAS #GridReliability #EnergyTransition #EnergyStorage #GasGeneration #EnergyIndustry #FERC