How smaller, distributed batteries could help the grid
How smaller, distributed batteries could help the grid
小型分布式电池如何助力电网
If you want to install a big battery in New York City, you have to cut through a notoriously tough tangle of regulations. That’s made it difficult to get large energy storage projects on the grid. 如果你想在纽约市安装大型电池，就必须克服极其复杂的监管障碍。这使得大型储能项目难以接入电网。
Faced with those obstacles, some startups are getting creative, finding ways to use relatively small batteries in unexpected places, from induction stovetops to food carts. By deploying these more consumer-focused batteries, the companies are helping people directly, cutting pollution or power bills. And these units, while small on their own, could add up to a lot of capacity. 面对这些障碍，一些初创公司开始发挥创意，寻找在意想不到的地方使用小型电池的方法，从电磁炉到食品餐车。通过部署这些更贴近消费者的电池，这些公司正在直接帮助用户，减少污染或降低电费。虽然这些电池单元本身很小，但汇聚起来却能形成巨大的容量。
Large, utility-scale battery installations are coming online quickly around the world. But there’s been some pushback from communities—especially population-dense ones like NYC—because of concerns about relatively rare but high-profile battery fires. 全球范围内，大型公用事业级电池设施正在迅速上线。但社区——尤其是像纽约这样人口稠密的地区——对此产生了一些抵触情绪，原因是对相对罕见但备受关注的电池火灾感到担忧。
“The number-one challenge that large-scale centralized energy storage providers have is the fact that their benefits are abstract and their costs are concrete,” said David Hammer, cofounder of PopWheels, at a New York Climate Week event on September 24. “大型集中式储能供应商面临的首要挑战在于，其带来的好处是抽象的，而成本却是具体的，”PopWheels 联合创始人 David Hammer 在 9 月 24 日的纽约气候周活动上表示。
PopWheels built a battery-swapping system for delivery drivers who zip around the city on e-bikes. Drivers swap out depleted batteries for fresh ones at a cabinet, avoiding the need to stop and charge. There are about 50 cabinets across New York City, and about 2,500 batteries in circulation, Hammer says. PopWheels 为骑电动自行车穿梭于城市的快递员建立了一套电池更换系统。骑手可以在电池柜处用没电的电池换取充满电的电池，无需停下来充电。Hammer 表示，目前纽约市共有约 50 个电池柜，约 2,500 块电池在流通。
The company recently started providing its batteries to food cart operators, allowing them to replace the gas generators they currently rely on. About four of its batteries can supply five kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to roughly cover a day’s operation for many carts. 该公司最近开始向食品餐车经营者提供电池，让他们能够取代目前所依赖的燃气发电机。其大约四块电池可以提供 5 千瓦时的电力，足以满足许多餐车一天的运营需求。
Others are looking inside homes. Copper, for example, is a company building induction stoves with integrated batteries. The appliances allow residents to cook if the power goes out, and they could also help homeowners avoid expensive electrical upgrades, because the battery provides some of the power when the stove is in use. 其他人则将目光投向了家庭。例如，Copper 是一家制造集成电池电磁炉的公司。这些设备可以让居民在停电时继续做饭，还可以帮助房主避免昂贵的电力系统升级，因为电池可以在炉灶使用时提供部分电力。
“We’re not just selling a battery for resilience—we’re selling it for cost savings,” Sam Calisch, cofounder and CEO of Copper, said at the event. “我们销售电池不仅仅是为了韧性，更是为了节省成本，”Copper 联合创始人兼首席执行官 Sam Calisch 在活动中说道。
Other companies, like Every Electric and David Energy are selling plug-in batteries for homes and businesses. Every’s battery is designed to be plugged in to an air-conditioning unit. The company provides the batteries and pays customers to reduce use during high-stress times. David Energy has a similar business model, but focuses on businesses like laundromats, parking garages, and gyms. 其他公司，如 Every Electric 和 David Energy，正在为家庭和企业销售即插即用型电池。Every 的电池设计为可插入空调机组。该公司提供电池，并向在用电高峰期减少用电的客户支付费用。David Energy 拥有类似的商业模式，但专注于洗衣店、停车场和健身房等企业。
Because all these companies’ batteries are small or even integrated into another device, they don’t generally require grid upgrades or extensive permitting processes. Just plug them in and enjoy the benefits—similar to the growing model of balcony solar, with small modules that plug in and help offset a home’s or business’s energy demand. 由于这些公司的电池体积小，甚至集成在其他设备中，它们通常不需要电网升级或繁琐的许可程序。只需插上电源即可享受便利——这类似于日益流行的阳台太阳能模式，通过插入小型模块来帮助抵消家庭或企业的能源需求。
The move toward more distributed batteries could be a huge change for the grid. “This is the biggest thing to happen in the power grid sector in the last 20 years,” says James McGinniss, cofounder and CEO of David Energy. 向更多分布式电池的转变可能会给电网带来巨大变革。“这是过去 20 年来电力电网领域发生的最重大的事情，”David Energy 联合创始人兼首席执行官 James McGinniss 说道。
If every stove in America were shipped with a battery, it would add up to tens of gigawatts of power, Calisch said. That’s capacity that can be aggregated and tapped when the grid is stressed. Calisch 表示，如果美国每台炉灶都配备电池，总容量将达到数万兆瓦。这些容量可以在电网紧张时进行聚合和调用。
As batteries continue to get cheaper, they’ll likely find their way into more corners of our lives, bringing along many benefits. Cleaner air, cheaper power bills—there’s a lot to like. That being said, the need for large-scale energy storage isn’t going to go away—larger installations will do the crucial work of supporting intermittent renewables like wind and solar, so they can help meet more of our quickly growing electricity demand. 随着电池价格持续下降，它们可能会进入我们生活的更多角落，带来诸多益处。更清洁的空气、更便宜的电费——这些都令人向往。话虽如此，对大规模储能的需求并不会消失——大型设施将在支持风能和太阳能等间歇性可再生能源方面发挥关键作用，从而帮助满足我们快速增长的电力需求。
But I’m interested to see how far an aggregated horde of stoves, e-bikes, and window AC units could go in helping the grid. The grid is getting more congested, especially in dense cities like New York. Anything that could help avoid summer blackouts is welcome. 但我很想看看，由炉灶、电动自行车和窗式空调组成的聚合体能在多大程度上帮助电网。电网正变得越来越拥挤，尤其是在纽约这样人口稠密的城市。任何有助于避免夏季停电的措施都值得欢迎。