US Quickly Adds Storage Centers for Electricity
2024-03-25
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1U.S. electricity providers are quickly adding batteries to store electricity in large amounts.
2The batteries are mainly ones called lithium-ion batteries.
3Increasingly, companies are using these batteries with solar and wind projects.
4The agencies that run electric grids, utility companies and developers of renewable energy say combining technologies is necessary to use renewable energy in the future.
5In the Arizona desert, a Danish company is building a large solar farm that includes batteries that charge when the sun is shining.
6The batteries are able to supply energy back to the electric grid when it is not.
7Some people think combining batteries with green energy will result in a better climate.
8"Green energy" is a term used to describe ways of creating power that do not appear to cause pollution.
9"Solar farms only produce when the sun shines, and the turbines only produce when the wind blows," said Ørsted chief Mads Nipper.
10"For us to maximize the availability of the green power, 24-7, we have to store some of it too."
11Some people think batteries will permit renewables to replace fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal.
12Batteries can help keep a steady flow of electricity when there is no wind or sun to produce it.
13For example, when people are sleeping at night and using less electricity, the energy produced from wind can be stored in batteries.
14Then, the stored energy can be used when demand is high during the day.
15Juan Mendez of Tempe, Arizona, gets power from local utility Salt River Project (SRP), which is working with Ørsted on the Eleven Mile Solar Center.
16As a state senator, Mendez pushed SRP to move to renewable energy.
17Mendez thinks the power company is still investing too much in gas and coal plants.
18A major project is planned for a natural gas plant in Coolidge, Arizona, near the solar center.
19"This solar-plus-storage is a good step, but SRP needs to do more to provide clean energy and clean up our air and help address climate change," Mendez said.
20SPR said it is adding more renewable forms of electricity production.
21The company's board of directors recently promised to add no new carbon to the atmosphere, or to have "zero emissions," by 2050.
22The United States is second in electrical storage in the world after China.
23In 2023, the U.S. added an estimated 7.5 gigawatts of electrical storage capacity.
24A report from BloombergNEF and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy said that is 62 percent more than in 2022.
25That amount of electricity could power 750,000 homes for one day.
26The total amount of electricity storage capacity in the U.S. is enough for 2 million homes for one day, BloombergNEF estimates.
27California has the most energy storage in the country.
28It has twice as much as any other state.
29Residential, commercial and utility-level battery capacity increased by 757 percent there over four years.
30The California Energy Commission said there is now enough electrical storage capacity to power 6.6 million homes for up to four hours.
31Texas has the second-most battery storage after California.
32Last month, Schneider Electric announced it is working with energy company ENGIE North America on solar and battery systems in Texas.
33The aim is to get closer to the French multinational's 100 percent renewable energy goal in the U.S. and Canada.
34Hans Royal is Schneider Electric's senior director for renewable energy and carbon advisory.
35He said the deal with ENGIE, and the necessary $80 million investment, would not have been possible without the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
36That was a major climate-related law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2022.
37Royal is advising other big companies he works with to get into the market for electricity storage.
38"The industry needs that, the grid needs it," said Royal.
39Back in Arizona, Ørsted's Eleven Mile Solar Center has 857,000 solar panels and more than 2,000 cubes that look like large shipping containers but contain batteries.
40Ørsted also has large solar and storage projects in Texas and Alabama, and in Europe.
41When the Arizona facility opens this summer, most power from the solar farm will go to Facebook owner Meta's data center in the town of Mesa.
42Any extra solar power, in addition to the power stored in the batteries, will go to the local utility's customers.
43The new batteries can ensure power to about 65,000 homes for a few hours of high demand.
44"What I think is exciting is just how rapidly this market is moving," said Yayoi Sekine, head of energy storage at BloombergNEF.
45I'm John Russell.
1U.S. electricity providers are quickly adding batteries to store electricity in large amounts. 2The batteries are mainly ones called lithium-ion batteries. 3Increasingly, companies are using these batteries with solar and wind projects. The agencies that run electric grids, utility companies and developers of renewable energy say combining technologies is necessary to use renewable energy in the future. 4Batteries to store electricity 5In the Arizona desert, a Danish company is building a large solar farm that includes batteries that charge when the sun is shining. The batteries are able to supply energy back to the electric grid when it is not. 6Some people think combining batteries with green energy will result in a better climate. "Green energy" is a term used to describe ways of creating power that do not appear to cause pollution. 7"Solar farms only produce when the sun shines, and the turbines only produce when the wind blows," said Ørsted chief Mads Nipper. "For us to maximize the availability of the green power, 24-7, we have to store some of it too." 8Some people think batteries will permit renewables to replace fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Batteries can help keep a steady flow of electricity when there is no wind or sun to produce it. For example, when people are sleeping at night and using less electricity, the energy produced from wind can be stored in batteries. Then, the stored energy can be used when demand is high during the day. 9Juan Mendez of Tempe, Arizona, gets power from local utility Salt River Project (SRP), which is working with Ørsted on the Eleven Mile Solar Center. As a state senator, Mendez pushed SRP to move to renewable energy. 10Mendez thinks the power company is still investing too much in gas and coal plants. A major project is planned for a natural gas plant in Coolidge, Arizona, near the solar center. 11"This solar-plus-storage is a good step, but SRP needs to do more to provide clean energy and clean up our air and help address climate change," Mendez said. 12SPR said it is adding more renewable forms of electricity production. The company's board of directors recently promised to add no new carbon to the atmosphere, or to have "zero emissions," by 2050. 13U.S. efforts to expand batteries 14The United States is second in electrical storage in the world after China. In 2023, the U.S. added an estimated 7.5 gigawatts of electrical storage capacity. A report from BloombergNEF and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy said that is 62 percent more than in 2022. That amount of electricity could power 750,000 homes for one day. The total amount of electricity storage capacity in the U.S. is enough for 2 million homes for one day, BloombergNEF estimates. 15California has the most energy storage in the country. It has twice as much as any other state. Residential, commercial and utility-level battery capacity increased by 757 percent there over four years. The California Energy Commission said there is now enough electrical storage capacity to power 6.6 million homes for up to four hours. 16Texas has the second-most battery storage after California. Last month, Schneider Electric announced it is working with energy company ENGIE North America on solar and battery systems in Texas. The aim is to get closer to the French multinational's 100 percent renewable energy goal in the U.S. and Canada. 17Hans Royal is Schneider Electric's senior director for renewable energy and carbon advisory. He said the deal with ENGIE, and the necessary $80 million investment, would not have been possible without the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. That was a major climate-related law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2022. 18Royal is advising other big companies he works with to get into the market for electricity storage. 19"The industry needs that, the grid needs it," said Royal. 20The future 21Back in Arizona, Ørsted's Eleven Mile Solar Center has 857,000 solar panels and more than 2,000 cubes that look like large shipping containers but contain batteries. Ørsted also has large solar and storage projects in Texas and Alabama, and in Europe. 22When the Arizona facility opens this summer, most power from the solar farm will go to Facebook owner Meta's data center in the town of Mesa. Any extra solar power, in addition to the power stored in the batteries, will go to the local utility's customers. The new batteries can ensure power to about 65,000 homes for a few hours of high demand. 23"What I think is exciting is just how rapidly this market is moving," said Yayoi Sekine, head of energy storage at BloombergNEF. 24I'm John Russell. 25Jennifer McDermott reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. 26_______________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28battery - n. a device that stores and supplies electricity 29grid - n. a network that supplies electricity to a large area 30utility - n. a service such as a supply of electricity that is provided to the public 31charge -v. to add more electricity into a batter 3224-7 (twenty-four seven) -adv. taking place all the time 33turbine - n. an engine that has a part with blades that are caused to spin by wind or air 34residential -adj. for use in homes and private citizens 35commercial -adj. related to businesses 36capacity - n. the amount of something that can be produced or supplied