Renewable Energy Storage
When the power goes out in Houston, the “Energy Capital of the World,” people notice.
The most recent controversy surrounding Renewable Energy was stirred by the ice storm that froze the state of Texas in February. Millions of people lost power (and running water) for days. While it is true that Renewable Energy did play a part in the chaos, it was not solely to blame. The cold caused many wind turbines across Texas to freeze. However, as it was discovered later, many natural gas plants were taken offline because they were not built to withstand below-freezing temperatures for that long. According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, Wind generates 20% of total electricity in Texas, where natural gas supplies 47.4%, coal supplies 20.3% and solar supplies 1.1%.
There are a couple ways to prevent this going forward but none of the options are quick fixes. The first option being to “winterize” wind turbines and natural gas plants like they are in northern states which can withstand winter weather like last week. This option would be extremely costly and inefficient and take a lot of time, but it may be necessary.
Another point to consider is that Texas is the only state in the continental United States that runs a stand-alone electricity grid. While this is quite an achievement and great to not normally have to rely on being connected to other states, it shows quite clearly that during critical weather events like last week that most of Texas cannot connect to other grids, which are connected and draw from each other when needed.
Right now, the main way we deal with times of high energy demand is through the use of natural gas “peaker” plants. These plants kick on for a few hours a day when energy demands soar. Unfortunately, in February some of these “peaker” plants were rendered inoperable due to the freezing temperatures. One way to protect ourselves in the future and combat issues like this is through the use of energy storage.
Solar and wind are playing a greater role in power generation, especially in the state of Texas. In fact, USA Today reported that Texas has emerged in recent years as not just a national but a global leader in building renewable energy, and a leading energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie said the state is the “center of the global corporate renewable energy market”.
In November 2020, the Chicago Tribune reported here that the majority of proposed projects in ERCOT’s pipeline are for solar, wind and energy storage. This is something Texas should be very proud of and means that there will be jobs for people that are transitioning out of the fossil-fuel industry. Still, the caveat remains that without effective energy storage techniques, natural gas and coal are needed for times when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. This means that large-scale energy storage is necessary if we do not want to rely on energy generation from fossil-fuels. Adding energy storage to the renewable energy sources makes that energy much more profitable because right now the energy is produced, and it goes straight to the grid whether it is needed or not. The more you put on the grid, the more the value declines. Storage helps deal with that by soaking up excess energy that would have been lost in the middle of the day, when electricity demand is lower, and moving it to a time when it is more valuable. Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar and Storage Association says, “Energy storage is actually the true bridge to a clean-energy future.”
With the cost of producing utility-scale battery storage facilities dropping exponentially in recent years, producing more facilities is finally viable and realistic. California is set to have the largest storage facility in the country come online later this year with many other facilities already approved and in the production process. Renewable energy is on the rise, especially here in Texas, and along with it will have to be more energy storage, you really cannot have one without the other. The more energy storage we have available means losses of power like in February and in the past will be history.
Want to learn more about the Renewable Energy Revolution, and how to get in to this hot, emerging industry? Join us for our next webinar: April 20th at 12pm Central.
Have questions about growing your Solar or Wind Energy company?
Connect with Neal Duncan, our Renewable Energy specialist.
Neal@CoreGroupResources.com
281-665-2806