No Rolling Power Outages for California Since 2020 - Thanks to 17,000 MW of New Battery Storage
"Californians just made it through the hottest August on record without having to endure any rolling power outages," reports the Los Angeles Times. In fact, the state hasn't implemented rotating power outages since 2020. Because "Over the last few years, California has quietly but dramatically increased the resiliency of its electrical grid through a significant expansion in battery energy…
California has avoided rolling power outages for the first time since 2020, even during the hottest August on record, according to the Los Angeles Times. The state's electrical grid has become more resilient due to a significant increase in battery energy storage. These batteries store solar energy generated during the day for use during peak demand in the evenings and mornings, when air conditioners and other appliances are heavily used.
In 2020, the California Independent System Operator declared a Stage 3 Emergency during a heat wave, resulting in hundreds of thousands of households experiencing rolling outages. At the time, the system had less than 100 megawatts of battery storage. Today, the system has more than 17,000 megawatts of battery storage available.
The California Independent System Operator aims to add between 20,000 and 25,000 megawatts of battery storage capacity by 2045, the same year the state aims to achieve carbon neutrality. The growing share of renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower, has also contributed to the grid's resiliency. In May 2023, California became the first large-scale power system in the world to rely on more than 50% solar power for an entire month.
The state's grid is also integrated with electrical systems across much of the Western United States, allowing for the import of energy from cooler regions during extreme heat events. This collective effort has helped California weather the long-lasting heat wave of 2023, with Southern California breaking temperature records, including a blistering 107 degrees in Long Beach and 112 degrees in Escondido.
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