Environment & Energy

How much does it cost?

The problem with batteries are the same at any scale, from a little cabin in the wilderness to a large regional grid.

Large battery systems are typically used to carry the load when solar and wind power drops out for however long it takes to get gas power plants up. The capacity of these battery systems is typically measured in minutes or hours, not days or weeks.

The physical mass of batteries that would be required to support a 100% solar and wind powered electric grid is entirely ludicrous.

For actual real world data you can explore the operation of California's gas/solar/wind hybrid electric grid, including batteries, starting here:

https://www.caiso.com/todays-outlook/supply

As I write this 84% of the energy I'm using is renewable. Gas power plants are being used for system stability.

Actually, if I consider only my local neighborhood, my electricity is probably 100% solar. Yes, my neighborhood exports electricity when the sun is shining. As the sun goes down gas power plants pick up most of the load. Batteries are used to smooth this transition, not to carry the load for the entire night.