During Historic California Heat Wave, a Hero Emerged: Giant Solar-Powered Batteries [CNET]

Californians can thank batteries that store solar energy for helping keep the lights on during the last sweltering heat wave.

Officials in California say an investment in solar batteries may have saved the state from widespread blackouts and brownouts during a heat wave from June 23 to July 12.

The heat wave, which had been anticipated, made national news. In Palm Springs, temperatures reached 124 degrees, and the extreme weather put millions of citizens in the state at risk. 

As reported by The Sacramento Bee and others, however, giant batteries that store energy from solar power averted a crisis by providing an additional 10,000 megawatts of power, enough to power 10 million homes for hours. 

Overall, about 11,600 megawatts of new renewable energy has come online since California’s 2022 heat wave, officials from California Independent System Operator said. CAISO is the entity that oversees the state’s power system and electricity market.

The news that California’s grid has withstood such a heated challenge comes amid a major policy change affecting how Californians are compensated for excess electricity produced by their solar panels. Last year, the state decreased by 75 percent the amount of money people with solar panels will get for excess energy. That’s led to a decrease in solar panel installations. It also may have caused some solar-power companies to go out of business.

However, the changes have spurred homeowners to invest in solar batteries, allowing them to store and use more of that energy in their homes instead of selling it on the energy market. 

These home batteries, made by companies including Sunpower and Tesla, aren’t the same as the giant grid batteries used by the state. But homes that are relying on their own stored battery power instead of pulling electricity from the grid do help ease the strain on the system during extreme heat waves.

Homeowners have other ways to help keep their home cool and efficient, including changing filters regularly and making sure that AC units are clean and working properly.

To keep track of heat waves across the country and see how they might affect you locally, you can check out this clickable warning system from the National Weather Service.