Beyond the fight against climate change, renewable energies and energy storage are teaming up to provide stability and protection for important facilities that can’t afford to be disrupted by outages.

According to “Advanced Batteries for Critical Infrastructure,” published by market analyst Navigant Research, advances in the field of storage technology are expanding the use of batteries to provide protection against outages in mission-critical operations.

Published in the first quarter of 2019, it examines the market trends affecting the deployment of so-called advanced batteries for critical infrastructure (ABCI).

Navigant notes that power failures are inevitable and that extended blackouts are a major source of public risk and financial loss. The company adds that commercial facility operators have a need to provide a stable electricity supply that allows operations to continue even in the event of a total power failure.

The study finds facility managers are increasingly relying on ABCI solutions that incorporate distributed energy storage system (DESS) technology. Navigant Research identifies four qualifying characteristics of advanced batteries that make them ideal candidates for critical power needs.

Advanced batteries have much shorter startup times relative to fossil fuel generators. They are silent and emissions free, and they can be housed in a building more readily than fossil fuel generators. In contrast to fossil fuel storage facilities, which will eventually deplete their fuel source, an advanced battery can recharge itself with renewables every day. Lastly, advanced batteries can derive their energy from a sustainable, renewable source like wind or solar.

These four characteristics will enable the rapid growth of ABCI over the next decade. According to Navigant, the annual global market for deploying ABCI will grow from 262.3 megawatts in 2018 to 9.6 gigawatts in 2027. Global revenue is expected to reach nearly $21 billion.