A “may day”’ call this year came from the U.S. Department of Energy. The DOE made a $30 million funding commitment to long-term energy solutions through its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) office. “Long-term,” as defined in the project scope, starts at 10 hours and extends up to 100 hours of stored energy.
Funding from the new program called DAYS (Duration Addition to electricitY Storage) is open to any technology able to meet siting, output, and cycle requirements. And the solution must deliver an average cost of 5¢/kWh cycle across the range of storage durations.
Why Fund Energy Storage
The shift to renewable energy continues, despite uncertainty about the direction of U.S. policy under the current administration.
¤ Non-hydro renewable energy generation increased +15% in 2017 with wind and solar capacity reaching 143 GW, a 431% increase in the last decade.
¤ And a recent survey of North American utility companies from Utility Dive shows sector leaders remain bullish about the growth of renewable sources. Results shown in the table below indicate the industry recognizes the transformation cannot be implemented without energy storage:
The anticipated growth reflects current commitments to cleaner energy by leading U.S. utility companies.
¤ Consumers Energy in Michigan: 40% renewable energy by 2040.
¤ National Grid in the Northeast: 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 (vs. 1990).
¤ Xcel Energy in the Central U.S.: 40% renewables by 2021, 60% by 2030.
¤ Ameren Missouri: Increase wind power to 700 mw by 2020 and solar to 50 mw by 2025.
¤ Duke Energy in the Southeast and Midwest: 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
¤ Southern California Edison: 80% solar, wind, hydro power by 2030.
¤ American Electric Power in the Southeast and Midwest: 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 (vs. 2000).
¤ MidAmerican Energy in Iowa: 95% renewable energy by 2021.
¤ WEC Energy Group in Wisconsin: 40% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030
¤ DTE Energy in Michigan: At least 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050.
¤ First Energy in the Mid Atlantic: At least 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2045 (vs. 2005).
Recent Comments