The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) opened applications for funding to support non-lithium long-duration energy storage (LDES) pilot projects on 5 September. The OCED intends to use this funding to bring pilot-scale energy storage technologies closer to commercial viability and utility-scale deployment for long-duration (10-hour plus) systems and stationary storage applications.
The OCED plans to fund 5–15 projects, each able to access $5–20 million with a 50% minimum non-federal cost share per project. The funding available is intended for electrochemical, thermal and mechanical storage technologies. It will support the maturation of the technologies, including: design for manufacturability, pilot system development, fabrication, installation, operational testing and validation, commercial scale system design and supply chain maturation.
The applicants must have a team that includes at least one technology provider. Priority will be given to applications that include utility, developer and/or end-use members, a plan to demonstrate the solution in an operational environment, and a plan to build investor confidence to secure support for follow-on projects.
The OCED states that eligible applicants will include state energy offices, tribes, tribal organisations, institutes of higher education, electric utilities and private energy storage companies. Concept papers are due by 16 October 2024. Full applications are due by 13 February 2025.
