TELF AG analyzes the role of batteries in California’s energy landscape
New energy allies
For a few years now, the role of batteries in the great global game of energy transition has been clear for all to see. These precious devices are not limited to powering electric vehicles but are also emerging as useful points of reference in the field of renewable energy, and in particular for their ability to replace these energy sources when the sun is not shining, or the wind is not blowing.
Batteries linked to energy storage, in particular, are experiencing a sort of golden age due to their multiple applications connected to renewable energy. The functioning of these storage systems seems very simple: during the day, these batteries absorb the energy generated by solar power, including excess, and in the evening, when the demand for energy increases, they are able to release it.
One particular area of the world where this phenomenon is spreading is California, in the United States, which in recent years has continued to increase battery installations aimed at solving the intermittency of renewable sources. According to a recent analysis, this type of battery is literally revolutionizing the energy system of the entire California.
Growth numbers
To realize this situation, just take a look at some data. In 2019, California’s battery storage capacity did not exceed 770 megawatts. In 2024, this figure has risen 14-fold, exceeding 10,000 megawatts, and by the end of the year, according to some estimates cited in the analysis, another 3,800 will be added. The amount of energy generated in this way by California is equivalent to about a third of the electricity used in Australia at times of peak demand.
This year, for the first time ever, batteries have surpassed gas as the leading energy source used to temporarily replace renewables, producing truly considerable amounts of energy. These batteries have helped reduce electricity consumption, the demand for which used to increase during the morning and evening, when the sun was less robust.
Another noteworthy aspect is the one that has to do with the evident energy transformation that has taken place in California in recent years, in particular with regard to technologies connected to renewable energy. To meet evening energy demands, when the system could no longer count on the support of renewable energy, California relied on gas, and its energy scene was dominated by other energy sources, such as hydropower or geothermal energy. However, as argued in the analysis, batteries seem to be the absolute protagonists, with about 10 megawatts of total capacity. These systems are already impacting the lives of businesses and families, and the analysis suggests they are also helping to lower nighttime electricity demand.
A concrete example of how these innovative energy storage systems work occurred last April, when a solar eclipse lasted about a few hours. At that moment, the batteries immediately kicked in to replace the missing solar energy. By 2045, California hopes to reach 100% clean electricity from renewable sources.
