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How smaller, distributed batteries could help the grid
If you want to install a big battery in New York City, you have to cut through a notoriously tough tangle of regulations. That’s made it difficult to get large energy storage projects on the grid.
By Casey Crownhart 3 min read
Key points
- There are about 50 cabinets across New York City, and about 2,500 batteries in circulation, Hammer says.
- Because all these companies’ batteries are small or even integrated into another device, they don’t generally require grid upgrades or extensive permitting processes.
- The move toward more distributed batteries could be a huge change for the grid.
The story
If you want to install a big battery in New York City, you have to cut through a notoriously tough tangle of regulations. That’s made it difficult to get large energy storage projects on the grid.
Faced with those obstacles, some startups are getting creative, finding ways to use relatively small batteries in unexpected places, from induction stovetops to food carts. By deploying these more consumer-focused batteries, the companies are helping people directly, cutting pollution or power bills. And these units, while small on their own, could add up to a lot of capacity.
Large, utility-scale battery installations are coming online quickly around the world. But there’s been some pushback from communities—especially population-dense ones like NYC—because of concerns about relatively rare but high-profile battery fires.
“The number-one challenge that large-scale centralized energy storage providers have is the fact that their benefits are abstract and their costs are concrete,” said David Hammer, cofounder of PopWheels, at a New York Climate Week event on September 24.
PopWheels built a battery-swapping system for delivery drivers who zip around the city on e-bikes. Drivers swap out depleted batteries for fresh ones at a cabinet, avoiding the need to stop and charge. There are about 50 cabinets across New York City, and about 2,500 batteries in circulation, Hammer says.
The company recently started providing its batteries to food cart operators, allowing them to replace the gas generators they currently rely on. About four of its batteries can supply five kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to roughly cover a day’s operation for many carts.
Others are looking inside homes. Copper, for example, is a company building induction stoves with integrated batteries. The appliances allow residents to cook if the power goes out, and they could also help homeowners avoid expensive electrical upgrades, because the battery provides some of the power when the stove is in use. “We’re not just selling a battery for resilience—we’re selling it for cost savings,” Sam Calisch, cofounder and CEO of Copper, said at the event.
COPPER
Other companies, like Every Electric and David Energy are selling plug-in batteries for homes and businesses. Every’s battery is designed to be plugged in to an air-conditioning unit. The company provides the batteries and pays customers to reduce use during high-stress times. David Energy has a similar business model, but focuses on businesses like laundromats, parking garages, and gyms.
Because all these companies’ batteries are small or even integrated into another device, they don’t generally require grid upgrades or extensive permitting processes. Just plug them in and enjoy the benefits—similar to the growing model of balcony solar, with small modules that plug in and help offset a home’s or business’s energy demand.
The move toward more distributed batteries could be a huge change for the grid. “This is the biggest thing to happen in the power grid sector in the last 20 years,” says James McGinniss, cofounder and CEO of David Energy.
If every stove in America were shipped with a battery, it would add up to tens of gigawatts of power, Calisch said. That’s capacity that can be aggregated and tapped when the grid is stressed.
As batteries continue to get cheaper, they’ll likely find their way into more corners of our lives, bringing along many benefits. Cleaner air, cheaper power bills—there’s a lot to like. That being said, the need for large-scale energy storage isn’t going to go away—larger installations will do the crucial work of supporting intermittent renewables like wind and solar, so they can help meet more of our quickly growing electricity demand.
But I’m interested to see how far an aggregated horde of stoves, e-bikes, and window AC units could go in helping the grid. The grid is getting more congested, especially in dense cities like New York. Anything that could help avoid summer blackouts is welcome.
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