More than £32m in government funding has been awarded to UK projects for the development of innovative energy storage technologies to increase the resilience of the UK’s electricity grid and optimise value for money.
Five of the UK-based projects will share in the combined fund of more than £32m as part of the second phase of the Longer Duration Energy Storage (LODES) competition, to produce new solutions for storing energy as heat, electricity or as a low-carbon energy carrier.
Energy storage technologies can be used to store excess energy to be used at a later date, and offer a solution to avoid the waste of energy produced by variable modes like wind and solar power. This competition is designed to improve the UK’s overall energy resilience by fostering innovation in this field.
This builds on the aims set out in the Energy Security Strategy earlier this year, to ensure a more flexible, efficient system by encouraging flexibility with large-scale, long-duration electricity storage to balance the overall system.
Graham Stuart, minister for climate, said: “Accelerating renewables is key to boosting our energy resilience. Energy storage helps us get the full benefit of these renewables, improving efficiency and helping drive down costs in the long term.
“This £32.9m government backing will enable green innovators across the UK to develop this technology, helping create new jobs and encouraging private investment, while also safeguarding the UK’s energy security.
“The funding announced today follows the first phase of the LODES competition, which saw £2.7m awarded to 19 projects.
“This second phase provides further funding to the most promising projects from Phase 1, enabling them to build prototypes and demonstrators to bring their projects to life.”
Some of the energy storage solutions to receive funding include: Edinburgh-based company StorTera Ltd to build a prototype of its energy-dense single liquid flow battery (SLIQ) technology; Sunamp Ltd from East Lothian to trial its advanced thermal storage system in 100 homes across the UK; the University of Sheffield to develop a prototype modular thermal energy storage system capable of benefitting both the occupant and the grid; RheEnergise Ltd to build a demonstrator near Plymouth of its ‘High-Density Hydro’ pumped energy storage system, which uses an environmentally safe mineral-rich fluid; and EDF UK R&D, in partnership with the University of Bristol, Urenco and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), to develop a hydrogen storage demonstrator utilising depleted uranium.
