As the U.S. accelerates its transition to renewable energy, battery storage is emerging as a cornerstone technology—essential to ensuring grid reliability when solar and wind generation fluctuate. In a recent CBS Evening News segment, UC San Diego’s Mike Ferry, Director of Energy Storage and Systems, discussed how battery technology is evolving to meet these demands.

Ferry noted that battery performance is improving and costs are steadily decreasing, enabling California to deploy over 10,000 megawatts of storage—roughly equivalent to five nuclear power plants. California and Texas now hold 85% of the nation's battery storage capacity, trailing only China globally.

Ferry emphasized the symbiotic relationship between solar energy and storage technologies, describing them as "chocolate and peanut butter" for the energy grid. This pairing is expected to dominate future energy infrastructure, with solar and storage comprising 81% of new capacity additions in 2024.

The piece also highlighted B2U, a California startup repurposing retired EV batteries for solar storage, and large-scale developments like the 4,000-acre Terra-Gen project in the Mojave Desert—currently the largest solar storage facility in the U.S., capable of powering a quarter million homes.

California, aiming for 100% renewable energy by 2045, will require many more such initiatives to meet its goals. According to Ferry and other experts, continued innovation in battery storage will be vital to unlocking the full potential of clean energy.

Read the full article from CBS News:
Battery storage is key to scaling up solar and wind power. Here's why.