September 11, 2025
By Ed Torres.
Energy storage has always been part of the power grid. Now, with more decarbonized energy from wind and solar power coming onto the grid, energy storage is essential to protect the grid from fluctuations when the sun isn’t shining, and the wind isn’t blowing.
Utility-scale battery storage is leading the way.
Battery storage is the fastest growing clean energy transition technology, according to the International Energy Agency. In the US, utility scale energy storage is projected to reach 64.9 GW by December 2026 – more than double the current capacity, according to the US Energy Information Administration. The IEA estimates the world will need at least 1500 GW of energy storage by 2030 to meet its decarbonization goals. A shortfall in deploying enough batteries, the IEA notes, would “risk stalling the clean energy transition in the power sector.”
Utility- and industrial-scale battery storage makes the electricity grid more reliable and resilient even as extreme weather conditions, and the integration of more intermittent and distributed energy resources add complexity to the business of delivering 24/7 electricity.
When the electricity supply does not match electricity demand, frequency may drop or surge. That leads to grid instability, which can damage equipment and eventually cause a blackout. Frequency control and frequency response are crucial to maintaining that balance.
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) store excess energy generated during peak produce and release it on demand – in milliseconds – to restore balance. Where there is a mix of renewable and energy storage systems and technologies, operators need a smart, unified and dynamic control and software platform to optimize energy usage as well as keep things in balance. For an industrial facility or a data center, a BESS serves as a backup system – an uninterrupted power supply that ensures that critical functions never lose power. But it’s more than just a battery.
In its State of Reliability Report, published June 12, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) credited the increased development of concentrated battery storage for improvements in frequency response and transmission system reliability, particularly in areas of the United States where weather can destabilize the system. Texas, where heat waves, hurricanes and other extreme weather events often challenge the grid, increased its BESS capacity nearly eightfold between January 2022 and December 2024, from 1,307 MW to 10,027 MW. NERC noted that in Texas, batteries provided up to 100% of the total capacity for frequency regulation in several instances in 2024.
At GE Vernova’s Power Conversion & Storage business, we think about energy storage solutions from every angle, considering flexibility, efficiency, footprint, and cost-effectiveness for every client. Our storage solutions, including BESS systems, BESS inverters, thermal storage, pumped hydro storage plants and fuel cells, among others, are used worldwide at utilities, data centers, steel manufacturers, and even naval vessels.
Our Hydro Pumped Storage Power Plants (PSPP), for example, are a proven, scalable form of long-duration energy storage. Pumped storage units act like giant batteries: water is pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir with surplus energy and then, in times of high demand, the water in the upper reservoir is released, generating electricity when it passes through a turbine. With both variable and fixed-speed drive systems and grid integration, these PSPPs can efficiently store excess renewable energy and deliver critical grid services, such as frequency regulation, load balancing, and grid-forming support on demand. This technology is the largest source of long duration energy storage globally.
To manage all of this, we have our FLEXIQ controls system with its industry leading MkIVe platform to provide active and reactive power control, ramp rate, scheduled dispatch and the frequency response necessary to maintain grid stability. As the name suggests, it has the flexibility to adapt as more assets and distributed energy resources are added.
And in a rapidly evolving energy landscape, we are constantly innovating to meet customer needs for cost-conscious, energy efficient and sustainable solutions. Our Restore product, which is a containerized BESS, offers a US domestic battery options as well as non-US options to give customers flexibility to select the battery that best fits their specific project needs.
We recently launched an important update to our utility-scale FLEXINVERTER platform: an advanced silicon carbide technology (SiC) for utility-scale BESS that delivers greater electrical efficiency and higher power density in a more compact, lightweight design. SiC technology allows inverters to operate at higher voltages and temperatures, helping reduce energy losses, cooling needs, and system size.
FEOC PFE compliant and available from either our Pittsburgh or Chennai facilities, the FLEXINVERTER has an installed base in the US greater than 10 GW as both a Solar & BESS Inverter.
Energy storage must keep pace with the growth in renewables. Building energy storage in tandem with integrating intermittent sources of energy creates a cost-effective system that maximizes every electron while also ensuring energy can be dispatched on demand to maintain grid stability and balance supply and demand.