Lawmakers have introduced the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, with an ambitious new goal for large-scale energy storage, in which giant batteries absorb wind and solar energy when it’s not needed, and release it when it is.
The bill makes it easier to construct high-voltage transmission lines, which bring the cleanest, lowest-cost energy to consumers.
A key aspect of the Reliable Grid Affordability Act is energy storage, which can reduce costs and smooth out peaks in demand.
“(Energy storage) is very flexible and also responsive,” said James Gignac, Union of Concerned Scientists midwest policy director. “And also it allows us to use more of the low-cost clean electricity that wind and solar generate, because without storage, electricity on the grid needs to be continuously consumed.”