Three South California battery arrays are going live as we speak. These are on the rebound from the natural gas leak at Aliso Canyon. They had hoped to replace smoky coal generators and worrisome nuclear ones with a more natural gas alternative. Now for the first time Bloomberg Technology is talking openly of three nuclear power plants worth of batteries.
Are Three Nuclear Power Plants Worth of Batteries Possible?
Of course they are! Battery arrays are infinitely scalable and commission faster than power stations that can take ten years to build. Moreover their components are readily recyclable compared to huge power station complexes. The decision is down to price. Since 2013, lithium battery cost fell from $600 per kilowatt-hour to $275. Furthermore, battery plants have smaller footprints and they do not pollute. We suggest you keep the volume low when watching this video.
https://youtu.be/V30al5-_vck
Sounds Good: So Where Do We Go From Here?
Tesla says it is technically able to deliver 15 gigawatt hours of storage capacity by the 2020’s. That’s where the Bloomberg calculation of three nuclear power plants worth of batteries comes from. Other members of their team are less confident. They believe the total cost of storage projects would first have to drop by half.
Battery manufacturers are keeping their cards close to their chests at present. However information Altagas let slip concerning their Pomona project suggests it cost $500 per megawatt hour. Tesla needs to start driving costs further down before cheaper lithium batteries start flooding in from China.
So Is This the End of Gas Peaking Stations Then?
No not immediately, although we think the writing is on the wall. Firing up gas peaking stations when demand exceeds supply is becoming oh-so-yesterday. Having charged batteries available on call is a more elegant, lower carbon alternative. We hope solar, wind, and lithium take their rightful place in the energy mix real soon. We can’t wait to see three nuclear power plants worth of batteries on the grid.
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