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• Groundwork Center is excited to be partnering with Michigan Conservative Energy Forum to host a webinar panel discussion with battery storage experts, on December 4th at noon, titled “What are Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and What Do They Mean for Michigan?” You can sign up here!
• To lead up to that webinar with Battery Storage experts, we are offering this introduction to the technology along with a list of recommended backgrounders for people who want to dive deeper into this promising technology that will be so central to modernizing the grid and speeding the clean energy transition

As we enter another winter season, many Michiganders may be having concerns about future electricity bills and the lights staying on during storms. These concerns are warranted because our electricity grid In Michigan, like grids across the country, is under pressure like never before. Energy costs are soaring. Reliability is falling. And meanwhile, electricity demand is rising rapidly as we electrify our economy (more EVs, heat pumps, etc.) and bring on energy intensive industries such as data centers for the AI boom and Bitcoin mines. The concern is so great that the president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC), Jim Robb, warned of a “five-alarm fire” for grid reliabililty. 

There is no one solution that will fix this problem and what works for one community might not work for another. With that being said, we are seeing innovative technologies emerge that are helping keep energy costs affordable and keep the lights on during severe weather, and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are a big piece of the puzzle.

BESS is defined as, “a technology that enables power system operators and utilities to store energy for later use.”  BESS can improve the reliability of electrical grids by providing back-up power (batteries) that helps prevent blackouts during extreme weather events. BESS can also help reduce energy bills for families and businesses by charging up with energy when the price is low and discharging energy when demand is high. BESS enables the growth of renewable energy, too, by storing excess energy created by wind and solar power so electricity can be sent to the grid when it’s needed the most. And BESS brings in real, local benefits by generating millions of dollars in local tax revenue and creating tens of thousands of good jobs in construction, maintenance and manufacturing. 

We have already seen Battery Energy Storage Systems help with cost and grid resilience in the United States. Texas, for example, set a record for grid stability this summer due in large part to batteries. Over the past few summers, “Texas’s extreme summer temperatures have frequently driven ERCOT [Texas’ power grid] to ask people to conserve power. But this year, ERCOT didn’t ask customers to conserve power at all, and credited its summertime stability to Texas’s nation-leading deployment of solar and batteries” according to Canary Media.

As Michigan sees energy demand continue to rise and severe weather events become more frequent and intense, we need to be looking BESS before the next major storm. The good news is that while federal funding for clean energy has been cut for most technologies, federal tax credits are still available for BESS. When rapid construction is needed, batteries prove the best option as new BESS projects can be built in under a year, while new natural gas power plants typically take three years to build. 

In addition, at a time when many projects are failing due to paid fossil fuel activism and local opposition, according to a survey done by Good Power, after people learn the basics of BESS, “a majority (77%) support building BESS facilities in their community. This was true across education, income and political parties.” While other energy sources tend to face local opposition, communities are seeing and experiencing the clear benefits from this local energy storage technology, meaning we can develop BESS projects in Michigan quicker than any other energy generation source! 

This technology isn’t new and has been researched, tested and improved for decades at this point. As of November 2025, 858 utility-scale battery energy storage system projects operate in the United States, with a total operating capacity of approximately 37,152 megawatts, according to Cleanview’s battery facility tracking data. (For perspective, an average-size coal plant in the United States generates 500 megawatts.) Predictions for battery storage expansion vary widely, but in a mid-range estimate, Modo Energy analysts predict U.S. BESS capacity will increase 400% by 2030.

To help Michiganders understand BESS technology more and their implications for us locally, at Groundwork are partnering with the Michigan Conservative Energy Forum (MiCEF) and are co-hosting an informational webinar— Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) 101: What they are and what they mean for Michigan.

The webinar is December 4th from 12:00 to 1:30 pm Eastern. Register here. The webinar will include experts explaining various aspects of battery storage. We have invited a senior engineer to discuss design and safety of BESS, a fire captain from Grand Traverse County to explain his confidence in the technology and plans for dealing with fires from BESS, and a researcher from the Graham Sustainability Institute at University of Michigan to examine the state of BESS siting projects in Michigan and what we can expect to see in the near future. 

The risk of an increasingly fragile grid combined with historical surging energy demand means we need to look at BESS sooner rather than later. With Battery Energy Storage Systems, we have an opportunity to improve grid reliability and help prevent blackouts, reduce energy bills and generate local tax revenue while creating local jobs. That way the next time Michiganders face an ice storm or intense summer heatwave, we can be more confident that our lights will stay on and we won’t have to break the bank to do so. 

RESOURCES

• Batteries are making the grid more reliable: NERC
  • The North American grid is challenged by the proliferation of large loads, such as data centers, and the operating profile of inverter-based resources, NERC said. But “reliability improvements were observed in areas with high concentrations of battery energy storage systems,” also known as BESS.
  • NERC’s report also highlights the potential for batteries to make the grid more reliable
• How Utilities Can Maximize Battery Investments at Grid Scale
  • Utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) have emerged as critical assets in this shift. In 2024, the U.S. added 10.4 GW of BESS capacity, bringing the total to 26.5 GW. That number is expected to reach nearly 65 GW by 2027. This rapid growth presents a significant opportunity, but also introduces technical and operational complexity.
  • Batteries can provide multiple value streams such as frequency regulation, peak shaving, energy arbitrage and backup power.
  • Distributed Energy Resource Management Systems (DERMS), paired with field-level control devices like microgrid controllers and Bring Your Own Controller (BYOC) architectures, offer scalable pathways to integrate BESS and maximize their value. These tools enable utilities to coordinate multiple services from individual batteries, delivering enhanced grid reliability, operational savings and revenue opportunities.
  • Value stacking is the ability to unlock and coordinate multiple value streams from a single battery asset, an increasingly vital strategy for economic viability.
  • DERMS platforms leverage secure, bidirectional communication through direct links to asset controllers, SCADA gateways or microgrid controllers. By translating industry-standard protocols such as DNP3, Modbus or IEEE 2030.5, utilities can forecast availability, assess system-wide needs and dispatch resources based on market prices, load forecasts and operational constraints.
  • Utility-scale battery adoption is accelerating rapidly, but without intelligent orchestration, even the most advanced assets risk underperforming. Batteries disconnected from real-time market signals, operational controls or customer needs become costly backups or stranded assets.
• Battery energy storage impact and benefits assessments in MISO
  • As demand grows and aging energy generation in MISO is replaced by new, diversified resources, the need for flexible resources like energy storage becomes increasingly important
  • Batteries provide instantaneous dispatchable generation and are a natural complement to renewable and thermal generation, balancing the grid and enhancing flexibility
  • Building a moderate amount of battery capacity over the next decade results in total system costs that are $27 billion lower over the forecast horizon
• Grid batteries defy Trump crackdown on renewables
  • Batteries are expected to account for roughly a quarter of all installations to the grid this year, according to the Energy Information Administration, with storage costs projected to decline substantially in the coming years. In the second quarter of this year, battery installations were 63 percent higher than the same period last year, according to the American Clean Power Association.
  • All together, the battery market is threatening plans for new natural gas, diesel and coal plants. The reason is simple: Batteries allow companies to store and use power when they need it. That means a data center developer can store solar-generator electricity and use it at night, instead of relying on a fossil fuel plant, like a gas peaker, to step up.
  • And signs of trouble in fossil fuel markets are also spurring battery growth. Natural gas prices are projected to rise in the coming years, while low crude oil prices are forecast to stymie U.S. production.
• Solar and batteries had a record-setting, grid-stabilizing summer in Texas
  • The record setting started bright and early on Jan. 24, when solar generated 22.1 gigawatts of power. That figure has since steadily risen, and on Sept. 9, solar produced a huge 29.9 GW. Also that day, solar provided more than 40% of the state’s power from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., per data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the state’s grid operator.
  • That early September day capped a groundbreaking summer for solar in Texas. From June 1 through Aug. 31, solar met 15.2% of all demand in the ERCOT system. Coal provided for 12.5% of demand during that time.
  • Texas’ extreme summer temperatures have frequently driven ERCOT to ask people to conserve power, warning that increased air-conditioning use could overwhelm the grid’s energy supplies. But this year, ERCOT didn’t ask customers to conserve power at all, and credited its summertime stability to Texas’ nation-leading deployment of solar and batteries.

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Nicholas Jansen is Groundwork’s Rural Clean Energy Organizer. nicholas.jansen@groundworkcenter.org