While I agree with you that utility-scale batteries can be very useful for load-balancing eletrical supply and demand, they also drive up costs as much as over-building. Utility-scale batteries are on the order of magnitude of cost as nuclear reactors, and they do not even generate electricity.
And most are only designed to output for 4 hours or less. They are fine for sudden short-term fluctuations, but not for sustained output. For example, the largest utility-scale battery only generates 750MW for 4 hours. That is not even enough to replace one large power station.
You are also correct that older fossil fuel-burning plants have ramp-up times around 24 hours, but this is not true of newer models. The newest Combined Cycle Natural Gas plants (CCGT) have a ramp up time of less than 30 minutes (not much slower than batteries).
In addition, CCGT can be run 24/7 for months on end, which is impossible for utility-scale batteries. If you want an affordable and stable electrical grid in North America, CCGT plants make alot more sense than utility-scale batteries.
The article was written by someone who hasn’t done the calculation of a) the cost of one day of storage on any grid, or b) how long it would take for the worlds largest battery factory to supply this one day of storage. Or it’s written by someone promoting batteries.
For Australia, the current cost of 24 hrs of storage (based on the cost of the 1GWhr battery going in at Liddel, NSW and the approx 3GWhr "worlds largest battery" in CA) is about A$350bn. Total government spending last year (federal +state+local) was $600bn. The world’s largest battery factory would take about 5 years to produce this, if it devoted itself to Australia.
While I agree with you that utility-scale batteries can be very useful for load-balancing eletrical supply and demand, they also drive up costs as much as over-building. Utility-scale batteries are on the order of magnitude of cost as nuclear reactors, and they do not even generate electricity.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/utility-scale-batteries-are-as-expensive
And most are only designed to output for 4 hours or less. They are fine for sudden short-term fluctuations, but not for sustained output. For example, the largest utility-scale battery only generates 750MW for 4 hours. That is not even enough to replace one large power station.
You are also correct that older fossil fuel-burning plants have ramp-up times around 24 hours, but this is not true of newer models. The newest Combined Cycle Natural Gas plants (CCGT) have a ramp up time of less than 30 minutes (not much slower than batteries).
https://www.gevernova.com/gas-power/products/gas-turbines/h-class-gas-turbines
In addition, CCGT can be run 24/7 for months on end, which is impossible for utility-scale batteries. If you want an affordable and stable electrical grid in North America, CCGT plants make alot more sense than utility-scale batteries.
https://frompovertytoprogress.substack.com/p/the-wonders-of-ccgt
The article was written by someone who hasn’t done the calculation of a) the cost of one day of storage on any grid, or b) how long it would take for the worlds largest battery factory to supply this one day of storage. Or it’s written by someone promoting batteries.
For Australia, the current cost of 24 hrs of storage (based on the cost of the 1GWhr battery going in at Liddel, NSW and the approx 3GWhr "worlds largest battery" in CA) is about A$350bn. Total government spending last year (federal +state+local) was $600bn. The world’s largest battery factory would take about 5 years to produce this, if it devoted itself to Australia.