Storage

DOE launches Grand Challenge to accelerate U.S. energy storage supply chain, deployment

The U.S. Department of Energy is accelerating its commitment to developing large-scale energy storage technologies.

DOE Secretary Dan Brouillette announced the launch of the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, an initiative to help create and sustain U.S. leadership in energy storage utilization and exports. The Grand Challenge builds on the $158 million Advanced Energy Storage Initiative announced in President Trump’s fiscal 2020 budget request.

“Energy storage is key to capturing the full value of our diverse energy resources,” Brouillette said. “Through this Grand Challenge, we will deploy the Department’s extensive resources and expertise to address the technology development, commercialization, manufacturing, valuation, and workforce challenges to position the U.S. for global leadership in the energy storage technologies of the future.”

A key goal is securing a domestic critical materials manufacturing chain independent of foreign sources by 2030. The initiative also seeks research & development funding opportunities, prizes, partnerships and other methods to address challenges.

In addition to developing a secure and domestic supply chain for critical challenges, the DOE also wants to establish performance goals, move the technology pipeline from research to system design and, ultimately, private sector adoption by 2030.

The effort would take rigorous system evaluation, performance validation, siting tools and targeted collaborations, among other things.

The Energy Storage Grand Challenge is managed by DOE’s Research and Technology Investment Committee. The RTIC was established last year.

Growth in intermittent clean energy resource deployment is also pushing exponential energy storage investment. A report by Wood Mackenzie last year indicated record growth in storage assets nationwide, expected to top 10 GW by 2024.

Energy Storage Breakthroughs was a key content track at POWERGEN International last year in New Orleans and will be again when POWERGEN 2020 happens December 8-10 in Orlando.

The POWERGEN call for abstracts is now open and seeking sessions on energy storage, gas-fired technologies, coal-fired, renewables, on-site power, microgrids and integration. Click here to find out more and submit an abstract.

Tags