Between ferocious heat that pushed California’s electrical grid to the brink and winter storms that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people, it has become increasingly clear we need backup sources of power to keep the lights on.
For California to achieve its climate goals and get 100% of its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2045, the state also needs to add huge amounts of battery storage to capture renewable energy when it’s plentiful and release it into the electrical grid when demand surges on hot summer evenings after the sun goes down.
There’s an existing and growing fleet of battery storage that’s virtually untapped so far: the roughly 1 million electric vehicles already on the road in California. When plugged in at homes, offices and charging stations, and with the right equipment, many could become mini power plants, available to quickly feed the electricity stored in their batteries to the grid when demand peaks and it’s needed most to prevent blackouts, and also power homes when utilities shut off electricity to prevent wildfires. That could be incredibly helpful as California confronts extreme weather and increased power demand from the electrification of our economy.
