Improving Texas’ grid resilience with Branch Energy
Texas’ energy struggles are no secret. Storage batteries not only loosen the grip of toxic “peaker plants”, they help keep people’s lights on, figuratively and literally.
Reducing emissions, improving resilience, and protecting communities, Branch Energy is expanding clean energy access by deploying batteries across Texas. WattCarbon spoke to Branch Energy CEO Alex Ince-Cushman about how he’s helping Texans accelerate towards a distributed clean energy reality, and how WattCarbon is helping Branch Energy think even bigger by unlocking millions to scale distributed batteries.
This article is part of WattCarbon’s Every Watt-Hour Tells A Story series, spotlighting how WattCarbon partners are deploying distributed clean energy to achieve climate impact, here and now.
The big idea
Texas is a leader in renewables, but in between daytime solar and evening wind leaves peak energy demand, powered by the nation’s largest fleet of fossil fuel plants.
Branch Energy is changing that.
On a mission to cut carbon emissions and improve resilience for their Texas customers, Branch Energy offers an innovative model to expand clean energy access through deploying battery storage in residential and commercial buildings.
By partnering with WattCarbon and making these assets available to corporate clean energy buyers, Branch can accelerate deployment and amplify its impact.
“We wanted to build an energy company from scratch to help our customers deploy the right things in their buildings so they can save money, reduce their carbon footprint, and be more resilient,” said Branch CEO Alex Ince-Cushman.
Texans experience outsized climate impacts
Texas’ energy struggles are no secret: its system is under considerable strain. Rapidly growing demand plus extreme weather conditions means resilience is top of mind for both policymakers and residents across the state.
The challenges have become abundantly clear in recent years as extreme weather conditions have repeatedly tested the state’s grid, with devastating consequences. In 2021, an ice storm caused widespread outages, leaving millions of customers without power for days and resulting in the deaths of 246 people.
Loosening the grip of toxic “peaker plants”
As electricity demand spikes (particularly during extremely hot or cold days), grid operators are often reliant on fossil fuel-powered “peaker plants,” which are significant sources of carbon pollution. Grid strain is also costly, as it creates extreme volatility in energy prices. Prices tend to be lower when there’s lots of clean energy (wind and solar) online and higher when the mix is dominated by fossil fuels (coal and gas).
Texas’ grid woes have driven significant investment in grid-scale battery storage, with energy storage capacity increasing roughly tenfold in just three years, and more grid batteries to be added in the state in 2024 than any other.
Batteries keep the lights on, figuratively and literally
The good news is that Branch Energy is bolstering resilience without adding more fossil fuel power plants. Branch installs battery systems at no cost to the customer, and the company uses sophisticated algorithms to determine when to charge the battery (when power is cheap and clean) and discharge (when power is expensive and dirty). Doing so ensures the batteries actually generate revenue and become cash-flow positive.
On a local scale, batteries play a meaningful role in balancing the grid and reducing both emissions and energy bills. For the individual home or business, having a battery can also be a lifesaving change, enabling them to keep the lights on even if the grid goes down.
How clean energy buyers can help batteries go even bigger
Now with energy attribute certificates (EACs), Branch can think even bigger.
EAC purchases help cover the upfront cost of new batteries, which is a barrier to deployment. More investment means more batteries can be installed in Texas homes, at no cost.
So, clean energy buyers looking to drive carbon impacts in Texas can make that investment, which in turn lowers the installation costs for Branch and enables them to increase deployment. The battery revenue pays for the investment, creating a revolving impact fund for the buyer to invest in even more batteries.
“A clear way to make the economics work is to value the climate impact with WattCarbon,” Ince-Cushman said. “That’s really important.”
Just think – your investment can go towards helping protect mouthwatering barbecue, cowboy culture, and Beyoncé! What’s not to love?
Texas used to be known for its oil. Let’s get it known for its batteries.
Get involved
Interested in learning more? Browse Branch Energy’s Storefront on the WattCarbon Marketplace, or reach out to WattCarbon to discuss vPPA opportunities.