Batteries are playing a bigger role in keeping the lights on during New England heat waves

Battery storage and small-scale solar played a critical role in keeping New England’s electric grid reliable and may have saved customers tens of millions of dollars during late June’s major heat wave, according to a new analysis.

As temperatures soared above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the region saw thick humidity, people cranked their air conditioners, drawing more power from the grid.

That shift could have saved consumers more than $19 million, according to an analysis by the Acadia Center, a regional environmental nonprofit and thinktank.

Absent all that rooftop solar, Acadia Center estimates New England would have broken its 19-year record for peak demand.

Power banking

The Acadia Center and ISO New England say power storage also played a critical role in keeping the lights on during this heat wave.

“I think people are really starting to understand that the value of renewables increases substantially when you pair them with batteries,” said Noah Berman, with the Acadia Group.

Batteries — whether smaller ones in people’s homes, or bigger “utility scale” ones plugged into the regional transmission grid — store power when it’s cheap and plentiful, like solar energy in the middle of the day.

Analysts with the Acadia Center hope batteries and a little extra coordination on the part of grid operators and utilities could help make that future winter peak lower, saving money and carbon emissions.

To read the full article from Vermont Public, click here.