DoE to invest $30 million in long-duration energy storage solutions
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) will invest $30 million in a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program that will aim to advance innovative long-duration energy storage on the power grid, the agency announced on Wednesday.
Project teams working on the new ARPA-E program, the Duration Addition to Electricity (DAYS), will strive to provide reliable electricity for 10 to 100 hours to make electrical grid more resilient. Currently, the high cost of long-duration energy storage is one of its biggest limitations.
“Building the grid of tomorrow will require new tools and technologies to ensure Americans have access to affordable and secure energy,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said. “At DoE, we are peering over the energy horizon and identifying the key technologies we need to support the power system of the future. These new storage options will offer us the opportunity to make the grid more resilient while enabling greater integration of our domestic energy resources.”
The $30 million in funding will be used to support energy storage systems that include thermal, mechanical, electrochemical and chemical, among others. The program will aim to meet “aggressive” cost targets, as well as siting, power output, and duty cycle requirements.
