Jared Newton remembers panicking at times when launching three first-of-their-kind battery projects in Minnesota for Connexus Energy in 2019. Would lithium technology — paired with solar farms — charge fast enough in the morning to meet afternoon electric needs?
“Until I saw it in action, we didn’t know if we’d be able to get them charged in time,” said Newton, who leads engineering and system operations for the electric cooperative in Ramsey.
Newton and Connexus are local trailblazers in the fledgling world of utility batteries.
Now, Minnesota is on the brink of a large-scale rollout of the mega batteries over the next six years, putting the state on pace for a relative boom in battery infrastructure. On Thursday, state utility regulators approved a certificate of need for a $450 million project by Invenergy near Lake Wilson that would be by far the largest storage system in the state.
Utilities — plus state planners here and across the country — are counting on utility-scale batteries to help with the shift from coal to wind and solar energy in the next two decades. However, many forms of the promising technology are still mostly untested beyond pilot projects and the batteries, while they have dropped in price, are still expensive.
Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest electricity provider, has no batteries in the state so far but released plans in February for a sizable fleet to help as it works toward closing its coal plants by 2030. A study commissioned by the state Legislature released this month also said a battery influx is needed for utilities to meet a state target for carbon-free electricity by 2040.
“I feel like we’ve been talking about [energy storage] a long time,” said Julie Pierce, vice president of planning and strategy for Duluth-based Minnesota Power. “Now we’re really seeing the fit and form come into fruition here.”
What batteries can be used for
The biggest challenge of shifting energy sources from fossil fuels to wind and solar power is 24-hour reliability. If there’s no wind or it’s a cloudy day, it can interfere with power generation. Especially during spikes in need, utilities need a backup.