PINK PONY POWER:

Unbeknownst to millions of residents of California and Texas, batteries kept them cool during the extreme heat that plagued both states during the summer of 2023. 

Though the energy needed from these storage batteries was relatively small compared to overall energy usage, it was enough to help the grid survive. And now, the capacity for energy storage is about to skyrocket.

In 2020, Texas only had 275 megawatts of storage capacity, according to the Texas Tribune. In early 2021, millions of homes in Texas went without power when the energy grid failed due to an extreme winter weather event, but the state that is firmly entrenched in the production of dirty energy has seen enormous growth in the clean energy sector since then.

Texas now has over 3,500 megawatts operating on the grid today and is expected to reach over 10,000 megawatt capacity by the end of 2024, according to the Tribune which stated that one megawatt is enough to power about 200 homes.

Just as the coal and gas-fired power plants failed the state in 2021, many shut down again due to the heat in 2023, leaving battery-stored energy, along with solar power, to pick up the slack.

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