New York City’s Biggest Battery to Offer Summer Relief for Power Grid

(Bloomberg) -- Consolidated Edison Inc. is putting its largest battery in New York City into service next week to help take stress off the power grid as summer heat drives up electricity demand.

The four-hour battery at Fox Hills substation on Staten Island will be connected on June 28, according to the city’s main utility. The system, which includes 11 Tesla Megapacks, can hold 7.5 megawatts of electricity — enough to charge 1.5 million mobile phones.

The battery will add to electrical supplies when summer demand is typically highest in late afternoons and early evenings, ConEd said in an emailed statement. ConEd also plans to sell services from the system into New York State’s wholesale energy market, generating revenue.

Battery installations are accelerating in US regions including Texas, California and even the mid-Atlantic to help keep lights on when electrical networks are taxed. Batteries are a small but fast-growing source that can kick into gear for a few minutes or hours during extreme weather, when power plants break down and renewable energy from solar or wind ebbs.

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