CoolSys: Big Battery Backup to Prevent Blackouts

Images of a shivering toddler clutching a teddy bear and flashlight come to mind when you think of the electricity crisis that left at least 4.5 million Texans without heat in frigid temperatures for hours to several days back in February 2021. Because record-low temperatures caused an unexpected demand for power that far surpassed what the state had planned for as a worst-case scenario, the power grid failed. To make matters worse, the historic freeze also brought a substantial amount of power production to a screeching halt. Although the Texas blackouts of 2021 were an unparalleled anomaly of circumstances, utility companies across the nation, and the world, are beginning to think twice about power grid protections.