Such a place exists in the United States. Presidio (Texas) is a city just near the US-Mexican border and its only claim to fame could be that it was once a backdrop for a Marlon Brando – Liz Taylor starrer. But its claim to “infamy” is more potent. There is just a single umbilical power cord which connects the city of Presidio to the rest of the US power grid and that stretches 60 miles from Marfa in the high desert to the banks of the Rio Grande.

Consider this…Presidio is one of the hottest places in the United States. And this sweltering cauldron is plagued by chronic power outages and fluctuations. Presidio lies within a zone where frequent electrical storms are the norm. Electrical storms disrupt not only regular supply but also affect everything that runs on electricity. From computers to ovens, it’s not only an annoyance in homes but also a constant worry for authorities, being a border town.

The citizens of this city have the only option in the form of a single, decrepit power line that could breakdown anytime.

Calvin Crowder, president of Electric Transmission Texas, LLC, a joint venture between subsidiaries of American Electric Power and Warren Buffett’s electricity company, Berkshire Hathaway’s MidAmerican Energy Holdings, observes…

“The area is a significant border crossing and for them to lose computers was not a good option.”

Part of the quick fix lies in a battery. A very large battery which is a major part of a $25 million system and on its launch would be the largest use of this type of energy storage technology in the United States. The four-megawatt sodium-sulfur (NaS) battery system has 80 modules, 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms) each.  Constructed by the Japanese firm NGK-Locke, they were shipped to Long Beach, California, in December and transported to Texas aboard 24 trucks. The building that will house the battery costs $10 million alone.

The battery system will have a fast response time to tide over voltage fluctuations and momentary outages. And it is designed to supply uninterrupted power for up to eight hours.

The NaS battery could work in Presidio given its chronic power shortages. Even when a 2012 slated power modernization plan kicks in, the battery could prove to be the bulwark against outages caused by electrical storms.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Donald Sadoway, who has experience with this type of technology, says,

“I’m excited that people are embracing battery storage at this scale. Once utilities get experience at what a large storage facility can do for them, eventually we will come up with technology that is cost-effective and a benefit for all.”

Image: Wikipedia

Visit the folks over at AboutMyPlanet for some more great reads!