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Batteries for the grid: A box of sunshine

Solar (and wind) power is essential for a decarbonizing power sector. But it is intermittent. Matching power supply to demand will require more than 300 GW of grid-scale storage, including lithium-ion batteries. Fortunately, projects to build more than 200 GW of battery storage have applied to connect to US grid operators as of the end of 2020, signaling a rapidly growing market.

In some markets, storage capacity would be needed to manage intraday fluctuations in solar generation.
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To read the article, see “Net zero by 2035: A pathway to rapidly decarbonize the US power system,” October 14, 2021.