Google-Backed Battery Storage Trial Generates Hourly Carbon Revenue Stream

A US battery storage trial backed by Google has shown that batteries can effectively soak up excess renewable power and release it when fossil-fuel generation is more prevalent.

The three-month trial, which ended on September 21, was executed by Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners' unit Quintrace, developer esVolta, and renewable energy procurement adviser LevelTen Energy. Hourly, time-stamped Granular Certificates were used to direct solar power to grid-connected battery storage and move it into hours when Google's energy use outstripped its renewable supply.

The trial aimed to show both a commercial route that provides battery storage operators with a carbon-based revenue stream and a tracking route that properly accounts for and retires the hourly certificates underpinning it. Google agreed defined daily charging and discharging windows based on projected gaps in carbon-free energy generation, and operators dispatched their batteries according to those guidelines.

Over the three months, the batteries charged and discharged a total of 9.2GWh within the respective windows. Quintrace's software tracks renewable energy from the point it charges a battery until it is returned to the grid, ensuring that only clean energy delivered is claimed.