Making PJM all wind and solar would cost over $2.4 trillion in battery backup
14 hours ago Guest Blogger 54 Comments
From CFACT
By David Wojick
I keep reading how big batteries are all it takes to make wind and solar reliable as the sole grid electricity source. The reality is that making wind and solar work at all requires a fantastic amount of battery backup, far more than is possible.
Below is an example using the PJM grid. PJM is America’s biggest grid operator, with a territory covering the Mid-Atlantic and points west. Their territory includes the Washington, DC metro area, where all the federal bigwigs live, making it a good place to start. I also live there.
We are quantifying a fantasy, so let’s keep it very simple. In fact, the basic question is why hasn’t PJM done this simple analysis? They do a lot of sophisticated grid modeling. Or maybe they have done this crucial assessment, but it is a secret, which is even worse.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/07/12/making-pjm-all-wind-and-solar-would-cost-over-2-4-trillion-in-battery-backup/
