Giant Batteries Are Revolutionizing the Way the U.S. Uses Electricity

Most decarbonization efforts in the U.S. target electrification — cars, heat pumps, and the like. These projects are crucial, but they overlook a core issue: the electric power grid. The grid currently accounts for roughly 25 percent of the emissions across the country and could account for an increase in carbon emissions if it is not decarbonized.  

Amanda Farnsworth of the MIT Energy Initiative sums it up: “Unless we decarbonize our electric power grids, we’ll just be shifting carbon emissions from one source to another.”

Decarbonizing power grids is a major hurdle in the energy transition. Renewable energy sources are intermittent and struggle with sudden demand spikes, keeping fossil fuels, like natural gas, entrenched in U.S. grids.

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a critical piece to making the renewable energy transition possible. These fast-growing technologies can store clean energy during periods of low demand and release the stored energy at times of high demand, enabling grid decarbonization without threatening grid reliability.

Leading the charge is SK E&S’s Key Capture Energy, which is developing projects in states across the country. Recently, they launched two 50 MW battery storage projects in central Texas, a region that has experienced severe blackouts and will have an additional 200 MW coming online this fall.

Here’s how SK E&S is powering the next phase of the energy transition by tackling major grid challenges.

How Battery Energy Storage Helps Make the Grid More Resilient 

Two major challenges have kept electric grids hooked on fossil fuels: intermittency and demand spikes.

Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are popular, affordable, and zero-carbon, but they’re not always available. Their availability depends on factors like time of day and weather.

This intermittency challenges the U.S. grid, where customers expect reliable power, rain or shine. Hitting net-zero goals requires energy sources that decarbonize the grid and deliver reliable, round-the-clock power.

The second challenge is demand spikes. When electricity demand surges, transmission constraints and grid inflexibility make it tough for renewables to ramp up quickly. Fossil fuels have been more dispatchable, keeping grids reliant on coal and natural gas.

Battery energy storage systems like Key Capture Energy address both hurdles.

These systems can store excess energy generated by solar and wind and dispatch it back to the grid when these renewables aren’t producing. They can also quickly discharge stored energy to meet demand spikes, easing grid pressure. This flexibility helps prevent blackouts and reduces reliance on fossil fuel-peaking plants, which are both polluting and costly. 

Fortunately, these solutions aren’t just promising research developments. Key Capture Energy already operates over 600 MW of battery energy storage, with more than 9,000 MW in development. Here’s how their battery energy storage is driving grid decarbonization in key U.S. regions.

How Battery Energy Storage Is Delivering a Big Impact Today

Key Capture Energy currently operates large-scale battery projects in two states – New York and Texas – and has a portfolio of projects under development in 19 U.S. states. 

These battery energy storage systems come at a critical time. The U.S. grid has shown increased signs of fragility in recent years. This summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warned that record regions of the U.S. are at risk of blackouts.

Grid reliability has been a major headache in Texas, with the state experiencing the most outages in the country over the past five years — 91 in 2021 alone. Key Capture Energy is already running over 380 MW of battery energy storage in Texas, making a big impact.

A new report from Aurora Energy Research shows that BESS in Texas has cut the cost and impact of extreme weather events on the grid. By storing and dispatching clean energy during demand spikes, a role traditionally played by natural gas generators, battery energy storage saved customers an estimated $750 million.

Battery energy storage projects like the ones developed by Key Capture Energy are critical to the U.S.'s ambition to reach net zero by 2050. 

SK’s “Under the Hood” Investments Power the U.S. Transition

Key Capture Energy’s storage systems are just one example of the "under the hood" investments SK Group is making to support the U.S. energy transition. From e-waste recycling and long-range EV batteries to Key Capture Energy’s storage solutions, SK Group is active across various transition-supportive industries, leading impactful projects today and pioneering the technologies of tomorrow.