Arbitrage remains leading use case for US grid-scale batteries
Image: EIA
From ESS News
The latest data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms that arbitrage – the practice of buying electricity when prices are low and selling it when prices are high – remains the dominant use case for utility-scale battery energy storage systems in the United States.
In 2024, operators reported that 66% of all utility-scale battery capacity included arbitrage among its applications, while 41% of total capacity was used primarily for arbitrage.
The next most common application was frequency regulation, which was the primary use for 24% of battery capacity. Frequency regulation plays a critical role in maintaining the grid’s stability by keeping it operating at a steady 60 cycles per second.