California’s Grid Being Saved by Batteries, PG&E CEO Says

California’s solar-heavy electrical grid has been able to keep the lights on this summer during extreme heat waves in large part because of the rapid battery deployment, the head of the state’s biggest utility said.

“We can leverage that stored energy and dispatch it when we need it,” PG&E Chief Executive Officer Patti Poppe said in an interview on the sidelines of the RE+ conference in Anaheim, California.

California’s main grid operator hasn’t asked customers to conserve power this summer despite multiple periods of triple-digit temperatures, according to a state report. That’s in stark contrast to four years ago ...