New RMI Report Shows the Real-World Value of Battery Storage
As conversations about battery storage grow across the country, communities have questions about what these projects mean for grid reliability, energy costs, safety, and their local economies.
A new report from RMI, Stored Potential, brings together data from grid operators, government agencies, safety organizations, and other researchers to look at how utility-scale battery energy storage is performing in the real world. RMI is a nonprofit focused on clean energy and the energy transition.
The growth in battery storage has been significant. Since 2018, U.S. battery storage capacity has increased more than 40-fold, with roughly 67 gigawatts of additional projects planned to come online by 2030. As the industry has grown, battery technology and safety practices have evolved as well. Notably, RMI found that no utility-scale battery facility of 100 megawatts or more using lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, batteries has experienced a fire since at least 2019. LFP is a lithium-ion chemistry widely used in modern battery storage systems, including the proposed Cascadia Ridge project. RMI points to that shift in battery chemistry, along with other improvements in system design and safety standards, as key factors in the strong safety performance of modern battery systems.
The report offers some of the clearest evidence that batteries are already helping keep the lights on during periods of grid stress. In California, batteries supplied 13% to 19% of total generation during the most grid-stressed hours of 2024, helping the state avoid the kind of rolling power outages that affected hundreds of thousands of households in 2020. In Texas, batteries supplied 6% to 9% of electricity during the most grid-stressed hours of 2025, delivering up to 7 gigawatts of fast-responding power.
RMI also points to the affordability benefits of battery storage. Batteries can charge when electricity prices are low and discharge during high-cost peak hours, helping reduce reliance on more expensive power sources. In California, the report estimates that battery use avoided $29 million in peak energy costs in July 2024 by reducing the need for higher-cost generation.
For communities that host these projects, the impact can also show up locally. RMI notes that a 200-megawatt battery storage project can generate roughly $1.3 million to $2 million per year in local tax revenue for infrastructure and services such as schools, emergency response, road maintenance, and county operations.
Taken together, the report provides a broad look at how battery storage is already being used safely across the country, from supporting the grid during periods of high demand to reducing costs and generating revenue for local communities.