DOE Launches Energy Storage Grand Challenge

The Department of Energy (DOE) has launched its Energy Storage Grand Challenge to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation energy storage. The aim of the program is to secure U.S. global leadership in energy storage backed by a domestic manufacturing supply chain by 2030. Program directors understand that to meet this goal they will need to engage other research and development (R&D) sectors across the government and address additional, related challenges, such as further advances in manufacturing. As such, there is the possibility that the Energy Storage Grand Challenge will engage with other Federal programs that ASME advocates for, such as the Manufacturing USA Institutes led by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).

The Grand Challenge came out of DOE’s Research and Technology Investment Committee (RTIC), which was established in 2019 after being authorized by Congress in 2018. The RITC is co-chaired by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Office of Electricity. It also includes representatives from DOE’s Office of Science, Office of Fossil Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Office of Technology Transitions, ARPA-E, Office of Policy, the Loan Programs Office, and the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.

By 2030, the program plans to:

1. Establish ambitious, achievable performance goals, and a comprehensive R&D portfolio to achieve them;
2. Accelerate the technology pipeline from research to system design to private sector adoption through rigorous system evaluation, performance validation, siting tools, and targeted collaborations;
3. Develop best-in-class models, data, and analysis to inform the most effective value proposition and use cases for storage technologies;
4. Design new technologies to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and recyclability, and to reduce dependence on foreign sources of critical materials; and
5. Train the next generation of American workers to meet the needs of the 21st century electric grid and energy storage value chain.

DOE plans to release a Request for Information (RFI) to obtain feedback from stokeholds, and host a series of workshops to gather input form the of energy storage community before moving forward with R&D funding opportunities, prizes, partnerships, and other programs.

ASME will continue to provide opportunities for participation and information on the program as it matures.