Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for data (RFI) searching for public enter on the construction of a $505 million, long-duration energy storage initiative to extend the supply of and ship reasonably priced, dependable clear electrical energy.
The new Long Duration Energy Storage for Everyone, Everywhere Initiative, created by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will advance energy storage techniques towards widespread industrial deployment by decreasing the prices and rising the period of energy storage assets. Cheaper, longer energy storage can enhance native management of the power system, construct resilience for communities, decrease power grid disruptions and assist attain Biden’s purpose of 100% clear electrical energy by 2035.
“The ability to move cheaper, cleaner electricity where and when it is needed most is the linchpin to a reliable energy grid and critical to meeting President Biden’s clean energy goals,” says U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The Long Duration Energy Storage for Everyone, Everywhere initiative leverages the expertise of the Department, National Labs, and industry to drive next-generation energy storage – making solar power available when the sun isn’t shining and keeping wind energy on tap when there’s no breeze.”
Shorter period storage is at present being put in to help in the present day’s rising quantity of renewable energy era and electrification. With assist from the historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, extra renewables can be deployed on the grid, and constructing and automobile electrification will proceed to rise. Longer period storage applied sciences are wanted because the nation should will increase entry and availability of renewable energy sources. Long period energy storage – outlined as techniques that may retailer energy for greater than 10 hours at a time – would help a low-cost, dependable, carbon-free electrical grid. Cheaper and extra environment friendly storage will make it simpler to seize and retailer clear energy to be used when energy era is unavailable or decrease than demand.
The initiative, administered by way of DOE’s new Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, will work to beat these challenges and obtain the price purpose by investing roughly $505 million over 4 years to validate grid-scale lengthy period energy storage applied sciences and improve the capabilities of shoppers and communities to combine grid storage extra successfully. DOE will implement three energy storage demonstration applications.
The Demo program will put together a cohort of promising applied sciences for utility-scale demonstration, which could not in any other case proceed given potential know-how funding dangers, by way of lab, behind-the-meter, or campus demonstrations. Specifically, these area demonstrations are supposed on the scale of 100 kW or much less and have already been confirmed at lab-scale.
The Demo Projects will allow first-of-a-kind applied sciences at utility scale by mitigating danger through the last technical validation level earlier than wider deployment, the steepest portion of the commercialization curve. Large, long-duration storage demonstrations on this program will want to have the ability to present not less than 10 hours of rated power and endure sufficient third-party testing/validation to substantiate a pathway to assembly the goal of a levelized value of storage of $0.05/kWh.
The Pilot Grants program will handle institutional limitations to know-how adoption within the market. Such limitations will be simpler to resolve when a know-how has been put in, operated, de-risked and proven to offer profit to customers, communities or the power system. Few entities have the monetary functionality to spend money on such a pilot. Pilot grants will mitigate this barrier by enabling larger storage funding by eligible entities which embody state energy places of work, Tribal Nations, larger training, utilities and energy storage firms.
Under the general Long Duration Energy Storage Initiative, DOE can be collaborating with the U.S. Department of Defense for lengthy period storage demonstrations on authorities amenities.
DOE’s Long Duration Storage Shot, launched in July 2021, units a goal of reaching a levelized value of energy storage of $0.05/kWh, a 90% discount from a 2020 baseline prices by 2030. This value discount will make dispatchable clear energy obtainable by way of lengthy period energy storage probably the most cost-effective selection for electrical energy prospects. To meet this goal, a variety of energy storage applied sciences, together with electrochemical, mechanical, thermal, versatile era, versatile buildings, and power electronics, will must be thought of, effectively past the normal lithium-ion batteries.
In March, DOE’s Energy Storage for Social Equity Initiative chosen 14 communities to obtain technical help to leverage energy storage as a method of accelerating resilience and long-term affordability.
These applications will prioritize initiatives that leverage a safe home provide chain and help the creation of good-paying union jobs. Consistent with the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, this initiative helps the purpose that 40% of the advantages from local weather investments movement to deprived communities.
The purpose of the RFI is to solicit suggestions from a variety of stakeholders on DOE’s implementation technique and eligibility necessities. Comments have to be acquired by 5:00 p.m. EDT on June 16, 2022, and will be submitted by emailing EnergyStorage41001RFI@ee.doe.gov.
