As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) today opened applications for up to $100 million in funding to support pilot-scale energy storage demonstration projects
Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations
September 5, 2024
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Washington, D.C.– As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) today opened applications for up to $100 million in funding to support pilot-scale energy storage demonstration projects. This funding—made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—will focus on non-lithium technologies, long-duration (10+ hour discharge) systems, and stationary storage applications. OCED aims to use this funding to move energy storage technologies closer to commercial viability and utility-scale deployment, helping the nation reach President Biden and Vice President Harris’ ambitious clean energy and climate goals.
As energy demand in the U.S. continues to rise, DOE estimates the country will need 700-900 GW of additional clean, firm capacity to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Meanwhile, variable renewable energy sources like solar and wind are also expected to grow significantly in coming years, making up the majority of new energy capacity additions. Long-duration energy storage (LDES) systems are a key component to achieving the country’s clean energy future, able to accommodate a growing reliance on variable renewable energy sources, reducing energy waste and ensuring grid resilience by pulling excess power from the grid for later use and dispatching that stored power when needed, keeping lights on and prices down.
The funding opportunity announced today is part of the Long-Duration Energy Storage Pilot Program, which aims to advance the maturity of a variety of non-lithium LDES technologies towards commercial viability and utility-scale demonstrations. For this opportunity, OCED plans to fund 5-15 projects, offering $5-20 million each with a 50% minimum non-federal cost share per project. The funding is for electrochemical, thermal, and mechanical storage technologies, and will support technology maturation activities including design for manufacturability, pilot system development, fabrication and installation, operational testing and validation, and commercial scale system design and supply chain maturation.
This funding opportunity requires applicants to have a team that includes at least one technology provider, with priority 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. Eligible applicants include state energy offices, tribes, tribal organizations, institutes of higher education, electric utilities (including electric cooperatives, tribal utilities, municipally owned electric utilities, and investor-owned utilities), and private energy storage companies.
Read the Notice of Funding Opportunity here. Concept papers are due by October 16, 2024, and full applications are due by February 13, 2025.