GUEST COMMENTARY
As a ministry leader who spends a lot of time listening to my Hill Country neighbors, I understand why people are cautious when something new is proposed in their community.
Prudence is a virtue. And protecting public safety should always come first.
But prudence also requires us to separate legitimate concerns from disinformation, especially when fear threatens to crowd out facts and cost Texans real benefits. That’s where Battery Energy Storage Systems, also known as BESS, come in.
Energy storage allows electricity to be stored when power is abundant and affordable, then delivered when demand is highest. That means lower costs, greater reliability and a stronger safety net for families, hospitals, schools and businesses.
Energy storage is already hard at work across our state, strengthening the electric grid we all depend on during extreme heat and cold.
According to ERCOT, Texas’s grid operator, battery energy storage systems are one of the reasons we’ve avoided widespread blackouts in recent summers and winters.
Since Winter Storm Uri, Texas has added more than 14 gigawatts of new energy storage capacity. During Winter Storm Heather in January 2024, energy storage reduced power costs in Texas by $750 million, supplied electricity to 434,000 homes and helped avoid grid failure.
More recently, during Winter Storm Fern, energy storage made up nearly 10% of ERCOT’s fuel mix during peak demand, helping drive down energy prices by more than 50%.
The Texas grid is under growing strain. With population growth, the rapid expansion of data centers, cryptocurrency mining and increased electrification across industries, ERCOT projects electricity demand could nearly double by 2030.
When demand spikes or a power plant unexpectedly goes offline, batteries can respond instantly to stabilize the grid.
From a stewardship perspective, that matters. Scripture consistently calls us to care for God’s creation and our neighbors, which leads us to manage resources wisely. A grid that fails during heat waves or freezes isn’t just inconvenient — it puts lives at risk. And with zero emissions during operation, minimal land use, no water use and no groundwater impacts, modern energy storage facilities are good neighbors.
It’s right to ask whether any infrastructure is safe. The good news is that BESS is one of the safest forms of modern energy infrastructure.
Today’s projects are highly regulated, built with safer battery chemistry and designed using containerized
HILL COUNTRY INSTITUTE, AUSTIN
systems that incorporate advanced monitoring, cooling and fire-suppression technology.
In fact, the battery storage failure incident rate dropped 97% between 2018 and 2023. The few incidents that have occurred involved older facilities built with outdated designs and chemistry that are no longer standard.
Developers are also required to coordinate closely with local fire departments, including emergency planning and training. These facilities operate under evolving national and state safety standards that grow stricter each year.
In fact, under Texas law, including House Bill 3809, battery storage operators must submit a decommissioning plan before construction begins, along with financial assurance to ensure that cleanup funds will be available regardless of future ownership changes.
When a project ends, companies are required to remove equipment, restore the land and properly recycle or dispose of materials — protecting landowners and taxpayers Security is another area where modern battery storage stands apart. Unlike much of our older grid infrastructure, today’s BESS facilities are built with cybersecurity at their core.
Texas has enacted strong protections against foreign interference in critical infrastructure, including the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, which restricts contracts tied to adversarial nations. Leading battery operators also comply with rigorous standards, ensuring hardware and software systems are monitored, traceable and protected.
Some Hill Country residents have responded to fearmongering and disinformation by trying to ban battery storage from their communities, but when decisions are driven by lies and exaggerated claims rather than evidence, we all lose. Shutting the door on this technology doesn’t make our grid safer. It makes it weaker — and more expensive.
As a theologically and politically conservative Christian who works at the intersection of faith, science and public life, I believe we can do better than shouting past one another.
Let’s lead with facts, not fear. Our neighbors and our grid deserve that much.
Larry Linenschmidt is founder and executive director of the Hill Country Institute in Austin
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