Electricity demand has increased significantly and is expected to continue growing as industrial, transportation, and agricultural uses become increasingly electrified. At the same time, electricity supply and demand do not always align. 

Battery storage helps address this challenge by storing electricity when it is available and returning it to the grid when demand increases. The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) manages the high-voltage electric grid across portions of 15 states, and is planning for substantial deployment of new energy storage resources over the next decade to support grid reliability and resilience.  

Illinois’s new Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act passed in January 2026 establishes a mandate to deploy 3 gigawatts (GW) of grid-scale battery storage by 2030 to stabilize the state’s power grid and lower electricity costs for all consumers.