Battery storage deployment belongs at the start of utilities’ growth plans.
The West is racing to build power infrastructure, stretching supply chains and utility business processes. New transmission, gas generation, pipeline capacity, and interconnection and permitting all take years, not months. Shortages in supplies for necessary equipment, manufacturing backlogs for existing orders, cross-industry competition for the same materials, and high demand for the highly skilled workforce required to create the underpinnings of our infrastructure means new suppliers can’t be spun up fast enough to meet demand, and delays persist.
Battery energy storage projects prove their value in filling that timeline gap. Utility-scale battery projects can be sited and built faster than nearly any other grid resource and can reach commercial operation in 18 to 24 months – roughly half the timeline of a new gas plant and a fraction of new transmission. Storage is not a substitute for the gas generation, transmission, and long-lead infrastructure the region ultimately needs, but it buys utilities the time to build those assets right, rather than building them under duress.
But calling storage a “bridge” understates what it becomes once built. The bridge doesn’t deteriorate when the highway opens. It supports reliable transit lanes to ensure power shows up when and where it’s needed most for decades — and in this case, it also protects against the delays and cost overruns that are common in long-lead infrastructure. Storage enhances the benefits and dependability of added power generation by diversifying the resource base and providing backup protection against disruption due to extreme weather, planned generator service outages, and other high need periods.
The West doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for perfect infrastructure before needing reliable power. Storage doesn’t ask it to. GridStor is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Western Energy Summit, where these buildout timelines and sequencing challenges are receiving the serious attention they deserve.
