One of the challenges in using clean, and affordable energy, is that variations in energy generation don’t always line up with variations in power consumption.
That’s where the Elkhorn Battery comes in. Located in Moss Landing in Monterey County, the Elkhorn Battery can store up to 730 Megawatt-hours of energy – enough to power nearly a quarter-million homes during peak demand.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, PG&E CEO Patti Poppe explained how useful the Elkhorn Battery had become since joining the power grid in April. One day, for example, there was a midday charging cost of 10 dollars per megawatt-hour, when the power grid had "ample, abundant, renewable clean energy resources." When peak demand hit later in the day, power was 10 times as expensive. That’s when the Elkhorn dispatched cleaner, cheaper power from its reserves.
The Elkhorn Battery is one of several energy storage systems PG&E is using to meet clean energy goals.
