...AND CHEAPER...:

"This study is the first to examine grid stability in all US grid regions and many individual states after electrifying all energy and providing the electricity with only energy that is both clean and renewable," said Mark Z. Jacobson, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford and study lead author.

"This means no fossil fuels, carbon capture, direct air capture, bioenergy, blue hydrogen or nuclear power"

Analysing grid stability across all 50 US states and districts for 2050-51 following a sector-wide transition to 100% renewable electricity and heat - including the electricity, transportation, buildings, and industry sectors - and the deployment of battery storage and demand response, the study finds no blackouts occur, including during summer in California or winter in Texas, and no batteries with more than four hours of storage are needed.

The report specifically demonstrates "concatenating" 4-hour batteries to provide long-duration storage - basically connecting 4-hour batteries end-to-end to provide storage duration longer than their isolated individual limits.

In reality, the study found that long-duration batteries were neither needed nor even helpful for keeping the grid stable. What was more beneficial, however, was linking together short-duration batteries so they could provide long-term storage when used in succession.

Such a battery setup can also be discharged simultaneously to meet heavy peaks in demand for short periods. In other words, concatenating short-duration storage is best suited to be used for both big peaks in demand and for short periods and lower peaks for a long period, or any variety in between.

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