When extreme weather threatens lives and livelihoods, solar and battery storage are there to deliver energy security for the American people. Extreme weather events, from scorching heat waves to destructive hurricanes to frigid winter storms, are constantly challenging our aging infrastructure. When power lines fall or gas plants freeze, distributed solar and energy storage can be life savers, and over the past several years, these technologies are increasingly stepping up to deliver reliability and safety when it matters most.

When the sun is at its hottest and demand peaks, solar power is a crucially important generation source. This June, large swaths of the country were scorched by a severe heat wave that stressed our aging grid. Demand for air conditioning soared, gas plants needed to reduce capacity, and the heat threatened rolling blackouts across the region. Thankfully, solar paired with battery storage stepped up to provide cool relief for American families. In New England, solar panels and a network of batteries supplied several gigawatts of power in key moments, saving households an estimated $20 million.

This is no isolated incident. As heat waves have become more frequent and severe in recent years, solar and storage have been working overtime to make sure the AC stays on and people stay safe. Texas has led new solar additions for the last several years, and those investments have shored up resources in response to a heat wave in 2023 and have strengthened the grid in preparation for this summer. During Europe’s record heat wave this June, solar generation set records in 13 countries and was the largest source of electricity for the EU in June.

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https://seia.org/blog/solar-and-storage-stability/