The US Department of Energy has launched a new initiative aimed at accelerating the development, commercialisation and utilisation of next-generation energy storage technologies.
Using a coordinated suite of research and development funding opportunities, prizes, partnerships and other programmes, the Energy Storage Grand Challenge sets out several goals for the US to reach by 2030.
They cover technology development and transfer, including establishing performance goals and validation and accelerating a technology pipeline from research to system design.
The goals also include policy and valuation to develop best-in-class models, data and analysis to inform the most effective value proposition and use cases for storage technologies, as well as boosting manufacturing, the supply chain and training the workforce.
The first step will see DoE soon release requests for information from stakeholders on the key questions and issues the challenge seeks to address.
DoE will also host a series of workshops with stakeholders to share information about various storage technologies, learn more about current barriers to deployment, and help shape the work that will bring those technologies to market.
This work will inform the development of a coordinated R&D roadmap to 2030 for a broad suite of storage and flexibility technologies, the department said.
The Grand Challenge builds on the $158m Advanced Energy Storage Initiative announced in President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request, DoE said.
US Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said: “Energy storage is key to capturing the full value of our diverse energy resources.
“Through this Grand Challenge, we will deploy the Department’s extensive resources and expertise to address the technology development, commercialisation, manufacturing, valuation, and workforce challenges to position the US for global leadership in the energy storage technologies of the future.”