The “BESS” DELUSION: Why battery storage is a FANTASY

Written by MGUY on September 25, 2025. Posted in Current News

MGUY Australia argues that large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) are overhyped and not the panacea many believe.

Battery storage systems are the Pavlov’s Dog response of the Net Zero zombies to difficult questions about the reliability of a grid based on wind and solar, but they have “Net Zero idea” just how much of that storage would actually be required – and the amount is mind boggling.

The main criticisms include:

1. Cost vs Benefit Misbalance
   • BESS are extremely expensive to build, maintain, and operate.
   • According to the video, the amount of grid reliability or energy shifting you get is not worth the money being spent.
2. Durability and Degradation Issues
   • Batteries degrade over time, losing storage capacity and efficiency.
   • The video suggests that real-world performance will be worse than advertised, reducing lifespan and increasing replacement costs.
3. Scalability Problems
   • To meaningfully support a grid with high renewable penetration, the scale of battery storage needed is massive.
   • The infrastructure, land, resources, and upkeep required are implied to be impractical or unsustainable.
4. Grid Reliability and Replacement
   • The video argues that when supply dropped (e.g. solar/wind drops), BESS cannot always provide sufficient backup.
   • Also raises concerns about how governments or utilities plan to replace ageing BESS installations.
5. Energy Losses Inevitably Involved
   • Charging, storing, and discharging involve energy losses.
   • When accounting for those, the net usefulness shrinks.
6. Alternative Solutions Ignored
   • Suggests that instead of relying heavily on batteries, more could be done via demand reduction, grid upgrades, more flexible consumption, or other forms of storage (e.g. pumped hydro) which might be more reliable or cost-effective in some geographies.
7. Political / Ideological Drivers
   • The video claims there’s a strong political narrative pushing battery storage because it sounds good under Net Zero policies, even if the economics or technical feasibility don’t fully support it.

Strengths & What Seems Plausible

• It is true that batteries degrade, and that their efficiency isn’t 100%.
• The cost of storage (both capital and operating) is a genuine concern especially for large-scale installations.
• In some places, alternatives like pumped hydro or better demand-management are indeed more cost effective or suitable.
• The scale of deployment needed for full renewables grids is large—many analyses show storage is only one piece of the puzzle, and grid flexibility, interconnectivity, etc., are also important.

source  www.youtube.com

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