Because private investors do not care if energy is more expensive, and there have been massive federal subsidies.
Correct, batteries do this but you need to pay for all the time when batteries are sitting there doing nothing.
I didn't say they did need to be dispatchable or not, the problem is the composition of supply. Renewables are more expensive, so why run them?
> Texas is the absolute best case scenario, and it isn't working
In Texas, it's private investors who shoulder the risk of whether or not an energy source is economical. And private investors are largely choosing solar, wind, and batteries, with a bit of gas.
When you say "energy brought on as required" you appear to be talking about dispatch; but that's what batteries do, right?
And solar/wind do not need to be dispatchable to be a good economic choice; as long as their are cheaper than the fuel and operating cost of a different dispatchable choice, then why run the more expensive energy source?