'Big-ol' battery' - The solution to power outages

BOB

Until America's smartgrid becomes a reality, towns and cities across the United States will still have to endure the occasional rolling blackout and power outages. That is unless, they come up with their own solution.

In Presidio, a small border town in Texas, the residents have done just that. Instead of putting up with the outages caused by the town's 62 year old power-line (the only line that is connected to the power grid in 60 square miles of storm-prone land in the middle of nowhere), the people have built themselves, what they say is the country's larges battery... and it's called BOB (Big-ol' Battey).

The massive battery would not only act as an emergency backup for the frequent power outages, but also as a way of ensuring the power in the area stays balanced. Presidio had previously arranged a deal with the Mexican government to transfer the town's electrical supply over the border, but the arrangement collapsed due to time and the fact that some people were still left without power.

Smart grid stand-in

The local project costs $25 million and can store up to four megawatts of power for up to eight hours. Since construction finished earlier in the week, the battery has been charging itself for its role as energy saviour.

BOB was put together by Electric Transmission Texas who also agreed to build a second 60-mile transmission line to Presidio for about $44 million by 2012. BOB itself is a room-sized sodium sulfur (NaS) battery that is found in many US utility companies that are stalling applying for potentially more expensive upgrades and/or transmission lines.

Several years ago, USA Today reported that so-called NAS batteries could potentially be used to "store energy for the nation's vast electric grid almost as easily as a reservoir stockpiles water, transforming the way power is delivered to homes and businesses."

However it seems that instead the batteries are being used as an emergency back-up rather than a more frequent source. While BOB may be a life-saver for the town of Presidio, we hope that this enormous battery project is a one-off rather than a sign of things to come.

If companies and towns decide to invest in back-up batteries rather than invest in new technologies, it could set US smartgrid plans back by decades.

Relevant articles:

GE CEO: Smart grid essential for US | Why the US needs a smart grid | The way to get smart, is to learn

Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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