Synchronous machines no longer guarantee grid stability. Storage must step in.
In 2024, battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Chile injected 524.9 GWh of clean energy into the grid.
At the same time, over 6,440 GWh of renewable energy was curtailed — a stark reminder that we are still far from making full use of our clean generation capacity.
Today’s BESS, though still in its infancy, are already playing a vital role: helping reduce curtailment, enabling greater flexibility in system operation, and supporting peak demand management, as well as reducing carbon emissions. Their contribution is tangible, and growing.
But recent events have shown that the role of storage must expand even further.
In February 2025, Chile experienced a major blackout. Following a fault in a key transmission line, the system split into two islands. In both cases — in the North and in the Center-South — frequency and voltage could not be stabilized quickly enough, leading to full system collapse in a matter of minutes. Four minutes, to be exact.
The analysis by the Coordinador Eléctrico Nacional is clear: while protection systems activated, and some responses were initiated, the system lacked fast, distributed, autonomous resources that could have stabilized local grids during the emergency phase.
This is where storage — and specifically BESS — can make a critical difference.
Even in their current configuration, BESS are already helping Chile manage some of the challenges of its evolving power system. But as more synchronous generation retires, the grid will increasingly depend on new forms of inverter-based stability to maintain security of supply.
Future BESS deployments must move beyond purely energy-shifting roles. They should progressively incorporate advanced capabilities such as voltage and frequency regulation, synthetic inertia, fault ride-through, and black-start functionality — in short, grid-forming services.
This does not diminish the value of today’s BESS projects. On the contrary, each BESS installed today is a foundational step toward building a more resilient, decarbonized grid. The experience of February reinforces why this pathway matters. In a future where large, centralized thermal plants will no longer be available to anchor system stability, storage will need to take on a much more active role.
As Chile pushes forward with regulatory efforts to fast-track decarbonization projects, this is a welcome step. But market signals and technical standards must also evolve to ensure that storage deployments contribute not just to energy management, but to grid resilience and autonomy — especially in critical events like the one we faced this year.
At Sherpas, we see a clear trajectory: BESS are already essential — and must become smarter. The sooner we move along this curve, the better prepared we will be to ensure that Chile’s energy transition is not only ambitious but also resilient and reliable.
Every BESS project built today is a step in the right direction — and an opportunity to prepare for tomorrow’s grid.
