Three interesting facts about electricity

A rechargeable battery stores electricity –– more on that later. But the kind of electricity you use in your home needs to be used after it’s generated.

A vast and intricate system of devices controls that power flow in a precisely balanced way. It’s one reason utility operators must be strategic when adding renewable energy to the nation’s fuel mix — a coal or natural gas plant can ramp generation up or down fairly quickly to meet changing energy demand. But solar energy and wind power depend more on the whims of Mother Nature, which adds an extra degree of difficulty to power management. However, technology advances could be a gamechanger. 

Large-scale battery storage technology is rapidly improving, allowing big batteries to offer another way for electric utilities to better balance the flow and timing of electricity. Wider use of large utility-scale batteries could also make it much easier to add more solar and wind energy to our grid –– by storing energy when it’s breezy and sunny, then using it at night and during calm weather.