With data center developers in Texas and most other states now commonly deploying fossil fuel generators as backup power sources, a nascent industry from the renewable side of power generation—battery storage—has started elbowing its way into the fast-growing sector.

A new report by Oxford-based Aurora Energy Research detailed how adding battery storage to a site could improve data centers’ power quality, provide flexibility and reduce transmission congestion, while offering an opportunity to reduce emissions.

Battery storage already works as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), or a bridge from grid power to backup power, as most generators take anywhere from five to 30 minutes to ramp up, said Lizzie Bonahoom, an Aurora Energy Research associate.

There’s a long history of batteries

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