Two 100MW battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in Texas have been brought online by independent power producer (IPP) Broad Reach Power, for participation in the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. 

A community engagement event was hosted last week for a solar-plus-storage project under construction in Denton County, Texas, pairing 275MW of solar PV with 125MW of battery energy storage. 

South Korean energy company SK E&S has agreed to acquire Key Capture Energy, a developer, owner and operator of grid-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) in various regions of the US including Texas and New York.

Tesla’s ability to offer rooftop solar, electric vehicles and home battery storage in one package could place the company in a strong position as an electricity retailer in Texas.

RWE Renewables has secured an offtake agreement with energy supplier Constellation for a large-scale solar-plus-storage project currently being developed in Texas.

Tesla’s planned launch of a retail electricity offering to existing customers within the ERCOT service area in Texas will lean heavily on battery storage as well as solar for its expertise, assets and routes to market. 

Alternative asset management group Apollo Global Management has secured a US$150 million investment into US energy storage technology provider and system integrator FlexGen Power Systems.

Users of US solar price comparison site EnergySage are increasingly drawn towards battery storage through concerns around having enough power in emergency situations, with 70% of users now requesting storage with their solar quotes. 

Tesla Energy has begun an initiative to install its V3 solar roof tiles and Powerwall 2 residential battery storage systems for what has been dubbed a “solar neighbourhood” at homes in a new development in Austin, Texas.

Texas’ ERCOT market has been one of the US’ fastest-growing regions for renewable energy, but recent weather-driven events have made it clear that more needs to be done to ensure electricity system reliability. The answers are already here, affordable and practical, argues Wayne Muncaster, vice-president at commercial demand response platform technology group GridBeyond.