Hyperdrive
California Approves Energy Storage Systems to Bolster Grid
- Regulators adopt one of the biggest deployments in U.S.
- Clearances come less than two weeks after rolling blackouts
Lithium-ion batteries inside an energy storage facility in Otay Mesa, California.
Photographer: Bing Guan/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
California approved one of the the biggest installations of battery-based energy-storage systems in the U.S. as the state moves to add power resources to its grid after suffering from rolling blackouts.
The California Public Utilities Commission signed off on previously announced utility contracts for nearly 1.2 gigawatts of battery storage capacity that is expected to be in service by August of next year. The commission’s vote comes less than two weeks after California’s grid operator imposed power shutoffs that left millions in the dark during a record heat wave.