To blunt the cost of buying power during demand spikes, Austin Energy is expanding battery storage at both ends of the scale, from massive installations spread across fields of shipping containers to units placed in customers’ homes.
With the brutal Texas heat increasing pressure on the grid, those batteries could limit blackouts and soften abrupt jumps in power prices for the city and individual residents.
What’s happening?
The Austin American-Statesman reported that the Austin City Council approved multiple major battery projects as power demand climbed during periods of intense summer heat. In July, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said that statewide demand could reach roughly 175,000 megawatts by 2032 — nearly twice the existing record.
Austin Energy signed a 20-year deal worth $165 million with OCI Energy in May for a 100-megawatt battery facility. In July, it followed with another 20-year agreement — this one for $320 million — with Jupiter Power for a 200-megawatt system. Once completed, the two projects are expected to supply 300 megawatts to the ERCOT market…