--- title: Clean Energy: How Batteries Can Revolutionize Energy description: Batteries allow utilities to collect excess electricity and keep it for times when the sun may not be shining or the wind not blowing canonical: https://time.com/4756648/batteries-clean-energy-renewables/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-01T09:00:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T08:48:13.444Z article:section: Science og:title: Clean Energy: How Batteries Can Revolutionize Energy og:description: Batteries allow utilities to collect excess electricity and keep it for times when the sun may not be shining or the wind not blowing og:url: https://time.com/4756648/batteries-clean-energy-renewables/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfb62fa3d27bffaa/6988cb54cf40a80171c477b4/gettyimages-675350492.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Wind Energy og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Clean Energy: How Batteries Can Revolutionize Energy twitter:description: Batteries allow utilities to collect excess electricity and keep it for times when the sun may not be shining or the wind not blowing twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltdfb62fa3d27bffaa/6988cb54cf40a80171c477b4/gettyimages-675350492.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Batteries Could Revolutionize Renewable Energy > Sponsored content. 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Future Proof is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-futureproof-2026q3/newsletters?i=74ec1f0e-1663-494d-8819-2575113713ee&cr=time-nl-futureproof-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Renewable Energy's Battery Challenge [Watch (HLS stream): Renewable Energy's Battery Challenge](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/0Me8Te8N.m3u8) (3:31)  _Published 2017-05-25. SUNY distinguished professor Esther Takeuchi discusses her research on batteries, and how they are poised to revolutionize our energy grid._  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent May 1, 2017 9:00 AM UTC SUNY distinguished professor Esther Takeuchi discusses her research on batteries, and how they are poised to revolutionize our energy grid.  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent May 1, 2017 9:00 AM UTC All over California, there’s evidence of the state’s goal to lead the country in renewable energy. Enormous farms of shiny solar panels have popped up across southern California, and gigantic wind turbines dot the landscape outside nearly all the major cities. There are less flashy—and less visible—investments in renewables going on, too. Tucked away in warehouses, trailers and industrial parks are [lithium ion batteries](http://time.com/4718024/a-simple-solution-for-clean-power/) that, if all goes well, will play a critical role in helping California hit its ambitious target: to have 50% of all electricity come from renewables by 2050. Some green energy sources come with a built-in challenge: the wind and the sun can’t be turned on and off at will. When it’s windy and sunny, an abundance of energy may be harnessed—but any excesses go to waste. That’s where batteries, the most common type of energy storage, come in. Batteries solve that problem by allowing utility companies to collect excess electricity and store it for times when the sun may not be shining or the wind not blowing. “Networks care about reliability,” says Logan Goldie-Scot, an energy-storage analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance. “Energy storage is being viewed by network operators as a potential tool in their toolbox, and that hasn’t been the case up until now.” In 2013, California launched an aggressive effort to ramp up large-scale energy storage with an initial goal of building 1,325 megawatts of storage by 2020, the equivalent capacity of two average sized coal-fired power plants. Today, the state is already home to 36% of the country’s battery storage capacity with projects continuing to open on a regular basis, according to a Climate Group [report](https://www.theclimategroup.org/sites/default/files/downloads/etp%5Fcaliforniacasestudy%5Fapr2017.pdf). Oregon and Massachusetts have since announced their own storage targets. Meanwhile, dozens of cities have made commitments to get 100% of their electricity from renewables. California’s effort will serve as test case for policymakers and utilities across the country hoping to deploy more renewables. If it works as planned, others will likely follow suit. “Everybody looks to California to see what works and what doesn’t work—and how to tweak it,” says Marlene Motyka, global renewable energy leader at Deloitte. “States are looking at it in terms of renewable technologies and how to get more value out of their systems.” Batteries will also change the power sector as homeowners and businesses install their own products. Batteries at homes, offices and other commercial buildings allow customers to save electricity collected by their solar panels and use it at times when electricity prices are highest. One in four businesses with more than 250 employees has already deployed batteries to help with their electricity management, according to a Deloitte study. Regulatory changes that encourage battery owners to sell back stored electricity when it’s in high demand could increase interest in batteries, analysts say. Batteries installed in electric vehicles, for instance, will also affect the electric grid as automakers continue to [expand their offerings.](http://time.com/4402090/epa-cafe-standards-climate-change/) Experts say the impact will both stress and help utilities manage their electricity supply. The stress comes as vehicles create a new demand for energy, but at the same time, batteries in those vehicles act as a storage unit of their own that may offer new flexibility. The largest battery in a Tesla, as one example, can store enough electricity to power the average American home for more than three days. Utilities have begun exploring programs to encourage electric vehicle owners to charge their cars when there is extra power on the grid. Perhaps the biggest open question for energy storage remains how much—and where—the market will grow in the coming years—whether lithium ion batteries will keep their place as the top way of storing electricity. Hydrogen storage, [molten salt](http://time.com/4291347/crescent-dunes-solar-power-plant/) and other forms of batteries all offer alternatives that have received significant investment in recent years. But much like photovoltaic solar panels in recent years, the cost of lithium ion batteries has already come down so much that the market’s continued growth seems almost inevitable. “A few years ago, batteries were seen as talked about in terms of innovative technology,” says Motyka. “Now, it’s here and starting to be used in full force.” ## Transcript [00:01] I very strongly believe that US economic [00:06] competitiveness depends on our ability to remain [00:10] innovative and remain technologically advanced. That's [00:15] how we're going to compete in the global economy. Dr [00:18] Esther [ UNKNOWN ] Takeuchi. [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] [00:39] Batteries play a key role in enabling renewable [00:43] energy The challenge with renewables is that they [00:47] generate electricity some of the time when the wind is [00:51] blowing or when the sun is shining. But then they also [00:53] generate electricity in a choppy way. A cloud goes [00:58] by a solar cell goes down. You know, the wind picks [01:00] up, the wind dies down and the grid itself has a hard [01:04] time accommodating ins and outs of uneven energy. So [01:08] we can Store some of it, it will make everything more [01:12] efficient. And it will allow a higher percentage [01:16] of renewable forms of energy to be part of the grid. [01:19] [ MUSIC ] Our goal is to [01:23] develop batteries that generate less heat, that are [01:26] more environmentally friendly, that have very long lives [01:30] And that can store energy associated with the grid. [01:35] So one of the materials that we're looking at is iron [01:37] oxide, many of us know iron oxide as various forms of [01:41] rust. So what we're doing, is trying to use iron [01:45] oxides in lithium ion batteries, not only would they be [01:49] low cost, environmentally abundant, and generally [01:53] non- toxic. But if we're successful iron oxides could [01:56] actually hold three times more energy than the [01:59] materials used today. today we think about [02:03] energy as being very centralized. there is large power [02:06] plants and then they feed electricity many directions. [02:09] But it's possible, if you have localized storage and [02:13] localized generation that it becomes more distributed. [02:16] This becomes particularly important in countries and [02:20] locations even in the United States where access to the [02:23] grid is not that easy. So, if you have a remote [02:27] location, either within the US or internationally, that [02:31] needs power but can't readily access the grid, then [02:35] there becomes a pathway to still have Reliable, low [02:40] cost electricity. [ MUSIC ] [02:44] Globally other countries are being quite aggressive in [02:47] investing in research. They're being very aggressive in [02:51] training college students and graduate students in [02:55] technical fields. And I think the United States needs to [02:58] recognize that those are critical things for the US [03:02] to do. Not just because it's morally right or [03:07] we want to be clever, but I think the United States [03:09] standard of living depends on it. And that's part of our [03:13] mission here as well. It's not just to research but [03:17] training the next generation of scientists Who can move [03:20] forward and solve the problems of tomorrow. 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