On July 2nd, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a Notice of Intent (NOI), offering up to $100 million in funding for pilot-scale energy storage demonstration projects. The focus is on non-lithium battery technologies, systems with discharge durations of over 10 hours, and stationary energy storage applications, with the funding solicitation expected to be launched in late summer or early fall.

This funding is intended to support the development of various non-lithium long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies and is part of a $505 million long-duration energy storage pilot program funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The OCED plans to finance 3-15 projects, providing $5-20 million per project, with at least 50% of the non-governmental cost share for each project. The office stated in a press release that projects will require applicants to have a team that includes a technology provider and encourages utilities, facility owners/operators, developers, investment institutions, and others who support a clear commercial application path to join.

In June of this year, New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will provide $5 million in funding for long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects through a competitive solicitation, supporting 10-100 hour LDES solutions.

In recent years, the United States has been increasing its financial investment and policy support for the development of long-duration energy storage technologies. The DOE's $100 million funding for non-lithium long-duration energy storage projects will promote the commercial feasibility of "various" LDES technologies. In this funding program, the focus will be on pilot demonstrations of non-lithium long-duration energy storage technologies with a discharge time of ≥10 hours, including flow batteries, compressed air energy storage, gravity energy storage, thermal energy storage, etc. Lithium batteries and energy storage technologies that do not meet the 10-hour storage duration are explicitly excluded.

As the demand for clean and reliable capacity continues to grow, long-duration energy storage technology routes of 10 hours and above will become a direction actively explored and developed by countries around the world. The iron-sulfur flow battery energy storage system independently developed by Zhonghe Energy Storage, based on inherent safety and low cost, can achieve a storage duration of 10 hours or more, meeting the needs for the efficient use of clean energy and the modernization of grid development.

纽约投入500万美元，支持10-100小时长时储能项目