Texas Leads Charge in U.S. Battery Energy Storage Deployment

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said earlier this year that it expects developers will bring more than 300 battery energy storage systems (BESS) online in the U.S. by 2025, and that about 50% of this capacity is bound for Texas. The Lone Star State is home to some of the largest BESS projects, which often accompany solar power developments, but also are being increasingly built as standalone units.

The EIA said developers reported plans to nearly double BESS capacity this year, with plans to add 14.3 gigawatts (GW) to the currently installed 15.5 GW. Texas, with an expected 6.5 GW of new BESS capacity, leads the nation for BESS growth, followed by California, with an expected 5.2 GW. The new Texas capacity will bring the state's total installed BESS capacity to about 10 GW, according to EIA data.

The EIA points out that BESS units are getting larger, with sizes measuring 400 megawatts (MW) or even more. And as is to be expected in a state where everything's bigger, many of the largest of these are bound for Texas, colocated with large solar generation facilities.

Hecate Energy (Chicago, Illinois), for example, this year plans to begin work on the Pinnington solar and BESS facility near Jacksboro, Texas, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth. The solar facility will use more than 1.5 million photovoltaic panels to achieve generation of 650 MW, and the accompanying BESS will be able to provide more than 75% of this output when the sun isn't shining by providing up to 500 MW of power. Both the solar and BESS are expected to begin providing power next year. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can learn more by viewing the project reports on the solar and BESS projects.

Most BESS facilities are on a somewhat smaller scale, more appropriate to the lower capacities of the accompanying solar generation. A typical example includes National Grid plc's (NYSE:NGG) (London, England) Blevins solar facility, planned for a location near Lott, Texas. The solar portion of the project will include an estimated 350,000 panels to generate about 250 MW, while an accompanying BESS facility will provide up to 181 MW of power. Construction began recently and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

Rapidly gaining ground are standalone energy-storage projects, unaccompanied by solar. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has stimulated the development of standalone BESS facilities by providing tax credits for them. Before the IRA, battery storage qualified for tax credits only when accompanying a solar plant.

Among the standalone BESS facilities planned to go online in Texas in 2025 is Spearmint Energy's (Miami, Florida) Red Egret project, which will provide 300 MW of power from Galveston County in times of high demand. Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor M.A. Mortenson Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota) is expected to start construction soon, putting the facility on track for completion in mid-2025. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

Jupiter Power LLC plans to bring more than 200 MW of standalone BESS technology to Houston in the form of its Callisto projects. Construction on the Callisto I BESS unit is underway and, when completed later this year, will provide 101.63 MW of available power. A second BESS unit, Callisto II, will duplicate that capacity and is expected to go online by the end of 2025. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on the Callisto I and Callisto II projects.

Other BESS facilities are additions to existing plants, made as the technology becomes cheaper and more readily available. Tokyo Gas Company Limited (Tokyo, Japan) completed the Longbow solar facility in Brazoria County, Texas, in 2022. Earlier this year, the company began construction of a 350-MW BESS facility at the site that is expected to begin providing power by the end of this year. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).