Western Michigan University Gets A New Power Source

There's a new battery at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. A really large battery. Consumers Energy unveiled it Monday and says it's the first of its kind in the utility's service area.

Consumers Energy spokesman Dennis McKee says the one-megawatt battery can hold enough energy to serve a thousand homes:

"Which will be used to help balance out the solar power that we generate in the state when the clouds cover the sun and they're not able to put out at their full peak capability."

McKee says storage batteries can also be used to store electricity generated by wind farms. He says Consumers and Michigan State University will study the Kalamazoo battery's performance over the next 12 months.