By the end of this decade, the job of batteries and power electronics at large facilities will shift from break-glass insurance to weekly or almost daily operations. This is part 1 of a two-part series.
Many experts are skeptical that the mission for critical power equipment could shift so soon, but this prediction is based on basic supply and demand: demand is rising, firm electricity supply is retiring, and aging equipment will be required to cycle in ways it was never designed for. The result will be more curtailments, more calls to run on-site power and price swings that make energy shifting with the assets you already own too valuable to ignore.