The “thing” here is one doesn’t see published the well worn “electric utility death spiral” much now and, yet, it still exists. The (proof) is the many rate case increases being filed with AHJs across the U.S. by electric utilities asking for electricity rate increases for “lost revenues” and filing rate cases for TOU programs where electric rates are “spiked” for a [few hours] daily. California is the poster child of the TOU, as such it is here where one finds that typical 5 hours of the TOU rates can add up to about half of one’s monthly electric bill cost. In these cases the residential smart BESS is more important than even the solar PV as a daily energy cost reduction. It is California’s practice of TOU AND PSPS that pushes the narrative of the importance of a BESS unit in every home, even if one doesn’t have solar PV on their roofs.

Now that the ‘tide’ of the NEM is morphing into the NEB moving from 1:1 retail energy rates per excess kWh pushed back onto the grid to NEB where “energy credits” are “priced” at the wholesale electricity rate has decreased credit amounts to 1/3rd to 1/5th the previous NEM energy credit amount. One is better off storing off peak electricity and using it during the TOU period and having a smart BESS allows one to address the PSPS and at least still have minimal power available during a grid outage.