Battery energy key to California’s climate goals

California has invested heavily in the technology, helping it mature and get cheaper in recent years.

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THE ELAND Solar and Storage Center in the Mojave Desert of Kern County is the LADWP's biggest solar and battery storage plant.

(BRIAN VAN DER BRUG Los Angeles Times)

Battery storage in the state has grown more than 3,000% in six years — from 500 megawatts in 2020 to more than 15,700 megawatts today.

“There is no question that the battery fleet that has grown rapidly since 2020, along with the state’s expanding portfolio of other supply and demand-side resources, has been a real game changer for reliability during summer periods of peak demand,” said Elliot Mainzer, CAISO’s president and chief executive.

It was only five years ago that a record-shattering heat wave pushed the grid to its limit and plunged much ofthe state into darkness. In the wake of that event, California’s energy leaders vowed to take action to make the grid more resilient.

Since then, CAISO has overseen a massive build-out of new energy and storage resources, including more than 26,000 megawatts of new capacity overall, which has also helped make the grid more stable, Mainzer said. The state hasn't seen rolling blackouts since 2020.

“Extreme weather events, wildfires and other emergencies can pose reliability challenges for any bulk electric system,” he said. “But the CAISO battery fleet, along with the additional capacity and close coordination with state and regional partners, have provided an indisputable benefit to reliability.”

Batteries are now key to California’s climate goals, including its mandate of 100% carbon neutrality by 2045.