Electrifying potential

The falling cost of storing energy is emerging as a key enabler of electric vehicle and renewables growth. The oil and gas industry is taking notice

When the Aliso Canyon gas storage site in Southern California had to be shut down in the summer of 2016 following a massive months-long leak, utilities warned that the region was facing a prospect of crippling energy shortages. The site supplied fuel to a network of gas-fired power plants across the region that kept the lights on and air conditioners pumping during times of high demand, like summer heat waves. With the site out of commission, regulators and power generators were left scrambling to plug the power gap. They turned to an untested option: stacks of lithium-ion batteries that could hold power to be dispatched as demand peaked, serving a similar function as the gas stored under Al