Home battery startup Base Power seems constitutionally incapable of standing still. This model lets more homes access emergency backup power when the grid goes down, and cheaper power on normal days. In exchange, Base Power uses those energy storage systems to provide power to the grid when it’s most stressed — a service that makes money for the company. In less than three years of operating, Base Power has installed batteries at 17,000 homes, mostly in Texas but recently in Illinois as well. But those projects take years of development and permitting before they can enter construction, while Base Power installers add multiple batteries in a day.