Last week, the state of Texas declared a power emergency.
This was similar to what was issued two years ago during that winter storm that left 246 Texans dead.
Generally speaking, the good people of Texas tend to be prepared for just about anything… except changing weather patterns that are posing a serious threat to the stability of the state’s energy infrastructure.
While the power emergency was rescinded shortly after it was announced, Bloomberg reporter Joe Carroll commented on something that should not be ignored:
The alert was called during the evening, the time of day that now has become perilous for grid operators because supplies of solar power go down but other generation sources aren’t always available to pick up the slack.
The question is why weren’t other generation sources available to pick up the slack?
A setting sun is not a new phenomenon.
Because of the intermittent nature of solar, it has never been considered a form of baseload power. In fact, in many utility-scale solar power plants, natural gas is oftentimes used as a backup when solar radiation is low. Our analysts have traveled the world over, dedicated to finding the best and most profitable investments in the global energy markets. All you have to do to join our Energy and Capital investment community is sign up for the daily newsletter below.
It’s actually an excellent combination, as the cost to operate a solar power plant is far cheaper than operating a natural gas power plant. And because utilities seek the cheapest form of power at any given time, solar is typically the go-to source during the day, with natural gas only having to be utilized after the sun has set and before it rises.
Of course, this won’t always be the case.
Eventually, energy storage will replace the need for natural gas in these scenarios because it'll ultimately be cheaper to produce solar and wind-powered electricity and then store it for later use.
In fact, there’s one type of energy storage that’s now accomplishing this very thing.
It’s called the "Newton Battery," and the first large-scale version of it is being built alongside a solar farm that will generate enough electricity to power 4.5 million homes.
During the day, while the sun is shining, the "Newton Battery" captures those electrons, stores them, and then dispatches them when the sun goes down.
And this isn’t your ordinary utility-scale battery backup system, either.
This thing is massive, and, unlike today’s conventional batteries, the "Newton Battery" does NOT lose power over time. There’s no degradation at all.
It’s also much cheaper to build and operate, which is why the company behind it has already inked more than $32 billion worth of contracts and has deals in place with General Electric (NYSE: GE) and Dominion Energy (NYSE: D).
Now, if you’re a regular reader of these pages, you may have heard about the "Newton Battery" before, but the reason I’m telling you about it today is because we just got word that the manufacturer of the "Newton Battery" is about to make a very big announcement. I believe this announcement is going to send the stock soaring within minutes of its release. That's why I’m including a link to this report that not only explains how this battery works but will show you how to get shares of it right now before that announcement hits the news feeds.
Battery storage may not be the sexiest subject in the world, but make no mistake: There’s a lot of money to be made here, so you might as well make it.
To a new way of life and a new generation of wealth… Jeff Siegel
@JeffSiegel on Twitter
Check us out on YouTube!Jeff is the founder and managing editor of Green Chip Stocks. For more on Jeff, go to his editor’s page.
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