U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Department Announces $15M in Potential Funding for Innovative Storage Technology Demonstrations

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) today (May 16) announced a Notice of Intent (NOI), Ref # DE-FOA-0003365, for a $15 million funding opportunity for cost-shared research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects to facilitate large-scale demonstration of innovative storage technologies that support energy resiliency needs. Through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), three projects will be selected of up to $5 million for each award. These RD&D projects are important for developing new technologies to ensure the U.S. energy delivery system is reliable, resilient, secure, and affordable.   

The nation's electricity grid is essential for maintaining economic prosperity, critical societal services, as well as national security functions. The grid faces a number of threats, such as extreme weather, cyber or physical attacks, aging infrastructure, and electromagnetic events that can cause widespread power outages. Traditional back up power solutions, such as diesel generators, may have drawbacks including onsite fuel storage, potential for interruption of fuel delivery, extensive maintenance, harmful emissions, and limited value proposition during non-emergency events.  

Through research and development, OE pioneers technologies to improve the grid infrastructure that reliably, effectively and securely brings electricity into our homes, offices, and factories. The Energy Storage Division has a mission to ensure that next generation energy storage technologies can serve a resiliency asset that is cost effective, safe, and reliable. 

Expected outcomes and objectives for the anticipated FOA include, but are not limited to: 

• Deploy an innovative energy storage technology at a host site with identified resiliency needs at the required scale, performance, and technology maturity level appropriate to advance technology towards commercialization.  
• Demonstrate the benefits of an innovative energy storage technology being used in the field to the large energy storage end-user and potential investor ecosystem.  
• Identify a host site that has a compelling need for a dependable supply of energy based on potential impact if the site were not able to maintain normal operations during a grid outage or other emergency event. 

Additionally, DOE is invested in advancing innovative storage technologies from early-stage R&D to widespread commercialization. In 2020, DOE launched the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC), the comprehensive, Department-wide strategy for coordinating energy storage efforts across DOE. Subsequently, in 2021, DOE launched the Long Duration Storage Shot, which establishes the target to reduce the cost of grid-scale energy storage by 90%, to $0.05/kWh levelized cost of storage (LCOS), by 2030. The selected projects will support the goals of the DOE, ESGC, and OE. 

DOE plans to make the FOA available by the end of August 2024. DOE will not accept questions at this time regarding issuance of the planned FOA.  Details on how to submit questions and comments will be provided in the FOA, if issued. 

Learn more about the Office of Electricity.