"Base Power" starts selling batteries in the PJM region
Base Power, one of the promising startups in the US energy sector, has begun selling its large home battery systems in Illinois, according to Zamin.uz.
This step not only expands the company’s reach but also marks its first entry into the territory of PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator. The region has recently faced serious energy shortages due to the sharp growth of data centers.
As reported by Techcrunch.com, the area managed by PJM, including Northern Virginia, is one of the key locations for some of the world’s largest data centers.
Due to insufficient new energy sources and rising demand, electricity prices in the region have nearly doubled over the past year. According to Canary Media, the situation has become so severe that AEP, one of the largest utility providers in the region, is threatening to exit the market.
Virtual power plants and an innovative approach, Base Power was founded two years ago in Texas with the main goal of creating a virtual power plant based on residential energy storage. The company offers batteries starting at 25 kilowatt-hours—more powerful than many competitors’ products.
Importantly, Base Power doesn’t just sell batteries—it requires customers to sell their electricity back to the company. In Illinois, the rates offered by the company are 25% cheaper than those of the local utility, ComEd.
This benefits both consumers and grid stability: the startup charges batteries when electricity is cheap and discharges stored power during peak demand, helping to balance the load.
To bypass bureaucratic delays, PJM had paused reviewing interconnection requests for new energy sources in 2022 and only resumed the process in April of this year. However, Base Power has managed to bypass these delays thanks to its business model.
As explained by founder and CEO Zach Dell, by installing batteries directly in homes—at existing connection points—the company avoids the need to wait for new interconnection permits. The company’s rapid growth has attracted significant investor attention.
In October, a funding round led by Addition raised $1 billion, following earlier investments of $200 million from giants like Andreessen Horowitz, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Valor Equity Partners. Today, Base Power has over 500 megawatt-hours of storage capacity in Texas alone—and continues to expand.
