US offers USD 100m for non-lithium long-duration energy storage pilots

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will disburse up to US 100 million (EUR 92.4m) to fund the development of pilot-scale, long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects utilising non-lithium technologies.

DOE’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations OCED issued a notice of intent for the proposed financing initiative on Tuesday. The round will target long-duration projects with a discharge capacity of over 10 hours, as well as stationary storage applications.

A funding solicitation is anticipated to be launched late in the summer or in early autumn.

OCED intends to finance between three and 15 projects, offering USD 5 million-20 million for each with a non-federal cost share of at least 50%. The involvement of utilities, facility owners and operators, developers and financiers will be encouraged.

According to DOE’s estimates, the US will need between 700 GW and 900 GW of additional firming capacity in order to reach its net-zero emissions goal by 2050. While short-duration energy storage is already supporting the grid, LDES systems will have a pivotal role in enhancing grid resilience amid the continued deployment of variable renewable energy resources, it said.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.924)

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