DURHAM, N.C. – Jan 31, 2024 – As part of our continued efforts to support advanced lead battery uptake for energy storage applications, the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) has joined as Teaming Partner of the U.S. National Consortium for the Advancement of Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Technologies.
Launched in January 2024, this three-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposes an independent forum to bring together stakeholders across the LDES ecosystem. The main goal is to promote collaborations to develop and implement strategies necessary to achieve the commercialization of LDES technology within the next ten years.
The power sector is responsible for one third of emissions in the U.S. according to estimates by the U.S. DOE. The transition to carbon-free renewable sources must address the intermittent nature of wind and sun, and LDES is a key option to provide the needed flexibility and reliability to the grid. Batteries are among the most viable storage technologies for shifting excess power produced at one point in a day to another point within the same day (inter-day LDES), or to multiple days in the future (multi-day / week LDES).
The LDES National Consortium is led by Sandia National Laboratories with the support of five other National Laboratories - Argonne, Idaho, National Renewable Energy, Oak Ridge, and Pacific Northwest. The partnership already counts with over 130 Teaming Partners who are working together in Tiger Teams to identify and evaluate challenges in specific focus areas impacting LDES. One key aspect of the Consortium is its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Strategy, leveraging community engagement to ensure that LDES technology rollout brings concrete benefits to underserved communities.
CBI’s Research & Innovation Manager, Dr Alyssa McQuilling, and CBI’s Technical Director, Dr Matthew Raiford, are actively involved in eight of the sixteen Tiger Teams, namely: Technology Development, Evaluation and Testing; Demonstrations and Deployments; Investor Confidence and Finance; Use Case Development; Workforce Development; Reliability and Resilience; Economics and Valuation; Supply Chain and Manufacturing Efficiencies.
"The extensive infrastructure and domestic circularity offer an incredible opportunity for the industry to learn how we can adapt lead battery technology to the needs of LDES."
Dr Matthew Raiford, Technical Director at the Consortium for Battery Innovation
Our experts point out that advanced lead batteries are particularly well suited to inter-day LDES applications. They also see the potential around hybrid long duration systems, combining advanced lead batteries with another technology such as flow batteries to cover both short and long duration response. Dr Alyssa McQuilling said: “There is a lot of opportunity for lead batteries as a part of the solution for long duration storage, and the growth of the industry will require all kinds of technologies to meet the needs of utilities and other consumers.”
“I’m excited by the scale of the project, ranging from technology and use cases to markets and economics all the way to supply chain and workforce development. We are covering every challenge facing long-duration storage and the efforts of this consortium will benefit the energy storage industry beyond just its long duration applications.”
Dr Matthew Raiford said: “The US lead battery industry is uniquely poised to collaborate in this effort. The extensive infrastructure and domestic circularity offer an incredible opportunity for the industry to learn how we can adapt lead battery technology to the needs of LDES. The ongoing efforts from the US DOE LDES consortium will be a hotbed to learn and bring this learning into our industry.”
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Notes to editors
About the Consortium for Battery Innovation
The Consortium for Battery Innovation is the world’s only global pre-competitive research organization funding research into lead batteries for energy storage, motive and automotive applications. For more than 25 years, with its global membership of battery manufacturers, industry suppliers, research institutes and universities, CBI has delivered cutting-edge research pushing the boundaries of innovation in lead battery technology, setting the standard for advanced lead batteries and the next generation of energy storage. For more information, visit our website: www.batteryinnovation.org
Dr Alyssa McQuilling, Research & Innovation Manager, and Dr Matthew Raiford, Technical Director, are available for interview. For more information, please contact CBI’s media contact: Nicola Filizola, nicola.filizola@batteryinnovation.org
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