How cooperatives are using energy storage to strategically support the grid
September 2026
For many member-owners, the biggest benefit of residential batteries is backup power.
by Jack McCarthy, Contributing Writer
When you hear electric cooperatives talk about battery storage, they aren’t talking about the drawer at the end of your counter reserved for AAA batteries, multicolored highlighters, paper clips and rubber bands.
Instead, they are talking about large battery systems that can store energy and deliver it when it is needed most. As utilities work to meet growing energy needs while maintaining reliability and affordability, battery storage is becoming an important tool — both for electric cooperatives and the members they serve.
BATTERIES AS A UTILITY ASSET
One of the biggest benefits of battery storage is its ability to help electric cooperatives manage periods of high electricity demand, often called peak demand.
Demand for electricity changes throughout the day. It usually rises during the hottest summer afternoons and coldest winter mornings, when homes and businesses are using the most power.
Battery systems can be charged when electricity demand is lower and then discharged during these high-demand periods. By supplying stored energy to the grid when it is needed most, batteries can help reduce the amount of power utilities must purchase from other sources. This practice, known as peak shaving, can help lower costs and provide savings for member-owners.
These batteries are often charged by renewable resources such as solar and wind. Batteries can store the energy renewables produce and release it later when demand increases. This makes renewable energy more useful and reliable by allowing electricity generated during one part of the day to be used during another. While batteries will typically be paired with renewable sources, they don’t have to be. Batteries can also operate independently — meaning they are not paired with any specific resource — and charged by the grid during periods of lower demand.
This strategic use of energy storage strengthens grid resilience, providing a faster response to the electric system during peak demand.
Batteries are not a new technology, but they have become less expensive and more advanced — and, therefore, more practical for utilities. In fact, battery storage is already playing a larger role on the electric grid. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, utility-scale battery storage capacity in the U.S. grew by 66% in 2024, reaching more than 26 gigawatts. Distribution cooperatives throughout Virginia, Maryland and Delaware, as well as generation partners such as Old Dominion Electric Cooperative, are exploring and implementing battery projects in the coming years.
“Battery storage is a great example of how BARC is embracing innovation while staying true to our mission,” says Chris Botulinski, chief operating officer at BARC Electric Cooperative, based in Millboro, Va. “As a not-for-profit cooperative, our members are at the heart of our mission. We’re always looking for practical ways to improve reliability, strengthen the grid and keep costs manageable for our members, and battery energy storage systems are becoming an important part of that effort. In addition to improving reliability, batteries are a cost-effective, cost-saving technology, helping BARC manage power costs and provide savings for our member-owners.”
PART OF A BALANCED ENERGY PORTFOLIO
While batteries offer many benefits, they are not a silver-bullet solution to the region’s current energy crisis.
Unlike a power plant, batteries do not create electricity. They only store energy that has already been generated elsewhere. Much like the battery in your phone, once a utility-scale battery is depleted, it must be recharged before it can be used again.
Because of the need to recharge them, batteries alone cannot meet electricity needs during extended periods of extreme demand or prolonged weather events. For that reason, electric cooperatives and generation partners such as ODEC rely on a balanced portfolio of resources, including reliable, affordable and dispatchable natural gas that can produce electricity when communities need it most.
Battery storage works best as a complement to dispatchable resources, helping cooperatives use electricity more efficiently while maintaining reliability.
BATTERIES AS A MEMBER-OWNER ASSET
Battery storage is not limited to utility-scale projects. As technology improves, more homeowners and small businesses have begun installing battery systems, often complimenting rooftop solar panels.
For many member-owners, the biggest benefit of residential batteries is backup power. By acting like a generator, batteries can keep essential appliances, communications devices and other critical equipment running during outages.
Member-owned residential batteries also can provide benefits beyond the home or business where they are installed. In some cooperative-offered programs, residential batteries can be called upon during periods of high electricity demand to discharge stored energy. Instead of generating or purchasing additional electricity during these peak periods, cooperatives can briefly draw on energy already stored in participating members’ batteries. When many batteries work together, they can help reduce strain on the grid and lower overall peak demand.
When paired with rooftop solar, home battery systems can often provide several hours of stored energy, helping improve reliability while creating value for both the homeowner and the cooperative. Although the batteries are located in individual homes, the value they create can reach far beyond a single household. By working together, members with home battery systems can help improve reliability, reduce costs and strengthen the electrical system for their entire cooperative community. It’s another way members can play an active role in supporting reliable, affordable energy in their communities.
“Delaware Electric Cooperative is continuously exploring innovative ways to keep electricity affordable for the members we serve,” says Rob Book, DEC’s president and CEO. “Our Beat the Peak with Batteries program reflects what makes the cooperative model unique. Members are not just consumers of electricity. They are active partners in helping us manage demand and control costs. When members participate, the benefits extend beyond their own homes, helping create value for the entire cooperative and the communities we serve.”
THE COOPERATIVE DIFFERENCE
Battery energy storage systems reflect the cooperative approach to serving members.
Because electric cooperatives are owned by the people they serve, investments in new technologies are evaluated based on the value they provide to members. The goal is not simply to adopt the latest technology, but to improve reliability, support affordability and meet future energy needs. What’s best for member-owners at the end of the line guides every decision cooperatives make.
Whether installed at a utility-scale level to amplify the reliability of renewables or in a member’s garage, battery storage offers another tool to help cooperatives serve their communities. As the energy landscape continues to evolve, battery storage is likely to play a growing role in helping cooperatives deliver the reliable, affordable power their members depend on every day.