‘This is really a game changer’: Georgia Power unveils innovative battery grid to power state
TALBOT COUNTY, Ga. ( WRBL ) — In the trees of Talbott County, there is a gentle hum. It's not the birds, bugs or bees but the hum of 67,000 lithium-ion batteries.
The mossy Branch Battery Energy Storage System was put in play a few weeks ago, according to Georgia Power representatives who unveiled the first-of-its-kind power grid Nov. 7.
"Batteries make everything better," Commissioner Tim Echols of the Georgia Public Service Commission said in his remarks.
The integration of the battery system comes after implementation of increased solar power and nuclear power in the state of Georgia.
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According to Georgia Power, which falls under the larger Southern Company, the goal of the innovative system is to make power faster, more affordable and more reliable.
"This is really a game changer," Georgia Power West Region Executive Doug Jenkins said.
The battery powered grid will function regardless of weather conditions, unlike solar panels which need sunlight to generate optimal power.
"If you're getting up in the morning and you're getting ready for work or you're turning on your heat in the morning," Jenkins said, "this will allow the power grid to respond to that type of increase in load much faster."
The batteries are grouped in enclosures called "quantums," which combined generate 115 kilovolts of electricity, enough to power 55,000 homes for four hours.
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According to Georgia Power reps, these batteries can "ramp up" in under 0.2 seconds to supply energy wherever it's needed across the state.
Jenkins said the power grid is already lowering power costs by allowing Georgia Power to store power in the batteries for use when other energy sources are more expensive. He added this will decrease costs for Columbus locals and across the region.
Southern Company reps said it hopes to introduce similar sites throughout the region in the coming years, after learning from the first-of-its-kind battery grid.
