When the Grid Heats Up, So Do the Risks--And Most BESS Can’t Take the Heat

Across the United States--from the sun-scorched deserts of California to the humidity-soaked skylines of the East Coast--one reality is becoming undeniable: extreme heat is accelerating, and the energy infrastructure we depend on is struggling to keep up.

Between 2010 and 2025, the East Coast warmed by 1.5 to 2°F, with triple-digit heat waves now regularly hitting New York (104°F), Philadelphia (108°F), and Boston (103°F). Out West, it’s even more extreme: Palm Springs hit 124°F in 2024, Redding reached 114°F in 2021, and Death Valley pushed an astonishing 129.2°F--- the hottest June day ever recorded on Earth.

And states like Texas, Arizona, Nevada, and Florida are not far behind. These regions are not only experiencing some of the most aggressive temperature rises in the country, but they’re also key players in the rapid expansion of BESS infrastructure. In Texas alone-- where the grid faces massive peak demand spikes and temperatures regularly exceed 110°F-- the reliance on lithium-based storage is increasingly at odds with environmental realities. As more utilities, municipalities, and commercial operators turn to battery storage, it’s imperative that alternatives like ELDES be considered not as a backup plan, but as a first-line installation strategy.

And yet, in the face of this climate reality, most companies continue to deploy lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) as if the thermal landscape hasn’t changed. But it has-dramatically.

The science is clear: heat and humidity are silent saboteurs of lithium technology. At just 113°F (45°C), lithium-ion BESS begin to derate, resulting in reduced output, shortened cycle life, and increased internal stress. At 140°F (60°C)--- a temperature easily reached in sun-exposed or poorly ventilated enclosures-- performance degrades rapidly, and systems are forced to rely heavily on cooling infrastructure just to remain operational. And that’s assuming the HVAC is functioning perfectly, the filters are clean, and the load isn’t spiking during a critical grid event.

This isn’t a hypothetical problem. It’s a design flaw in plain sight--- and one the market can no longer afford to overlook.

That’s where ELDES (Electrostatic Long-Duration Energy Storage) represents a complete paradigm shift. ELDES isn’t just a newer ESS-- it’s a fundamentally different architecture. Instead of relying on chemical reactions, ELDES stores energy electrostatically--- using a solid-state platform where electrons are accumulated and released across a dielectric medium. No heat-based reactions. No flammable electrolytes. No degradation over time. It’s energy storage rooted in physics, not chemistry-- and that distinction is what allows it to outperform and outlast conventional solutions.

ELDES thrives where lithium struggles. It operates at full capacity well beyond 120°F, without derating, overheating, or requiring complex thermal management. There’s no need for spacing between units, and no risk of thermal runaway. For added resilience in critical infrastructure settings, ELDES includes an Automatic Fire Suppression System (AFSS) as a redundant safety measure--not because it’s needed, but because we believe in building for the unexpected.

An increase in battery energy storage system (BESS) deployments reveals the importance of successful cooling design. Unique challenges of lithium-ion battery systems require careful engineering. Lithium-ion batteries must operate within a narrow temperature range (20° to 25°C), necessitating refrigeration-based cooling, not ambient air alone. Air distribution must be nearly perfect, with temperature variation no more than 5°C between cells. Rapid power changes demand tightly controlled conditions. Without it, lithium cells will degrade, malfunction, or ignite.

Sophisticated modeling tools are required just to design adequate thermal support. These include mass and energy balance equations, transient FEA simulations, and CFD analyses to study airflow and temperature gradients. Engineers must account for all internal and external heat loads, from battery chemical reactions to resistive DC losses and environmental exposure. HVAC systems must be oversized by 150% of calculated cooling needs due to inefficiencies in real-world conditions.

Even with these systems in place, lithium-ion BESS generate increasing heat as they degrade over time-- with 35% to 70% more heat production reported by battery OEMs over a project lifecycle. Batteries near full or empty charge states also produce significantly more heat. This means HVAC must be not only accurate, but resilient to lifecycle variability. If internal conduction and air movement fail to transfer heat adequately, no amount of external cooling can compensate.

CFD analyses, HVAC cycling models, and transient load simulations have become mandatory for safe lithium-ion BESS deployment. A failure in design or execution can lead to rapid temperature swings, short cycling of cooling equipment, and ultimately thermal failure.

In contrast, ELDES eliminates all of this. It requires no active cooling, no thermal balancing, and no lifecycle-based redesigns. With 500,000+ cycles of degradation-free performance, ELDES delivers unmatched reliability, efficiency, and peace of mind--- in any environment.

Unlike our competitors that require costly annual maintenance contracts-- often exceeding $8,000 per MW and rising year over year-- ELDES is designed to be virtually maintenance-free. That means no hidden costs, no complex service agreements, and no forced system augmentations halfway through a project lifecycle. It’s a true install-and-operate solution, with minimal overhead and maximum uptime.

At North Shore Energy, we’ve deploying ESS solutions across a wide range of industries and regions-- from commercial rooftops and agricultural operations to emergency services, city governments, and critical water infrastructure. And every time, we see the same issue: decision-makers underestimating the operational and financial cost of heat and degradation on lithium-based systems.

ELDES is built for the grid as it exists now-- not the one we imagined ten years ago. It doesn’t need to be cooled. It doesn’t degrade. It doesn’t catch fire. And with integrated safety and fire suppression, it simply performs-- reliably, safely, and efficiently, even in the harshest environments on the planet.

So when the grid heats up-- when resiliency matters most-- your storage system shouldn’t become a liability.

It should be the reason your lights stay on.