Zach Dell’s battery startup Base Power raised $1 billion in a fresh funding round, bringing his three-year-old company’s total valuation to $13 billion. They’re meant to be used by electricity companies to make power grids more efficient, affordable and less likely to fail in the first place. Customers of El Paso Electric have volunteered to have Base batteries installed to put the plan to the test. Bringing It Home: Base batteries could help power companies handle the costs of repairing infrastructure like power lines. Because of that, El Paso Electric is covering Base battery installation and offering an additional cash incentive.