April 29, 2021
ESA Requests Congress Double Energy Storage Innovation Investments in FY22, Undertake a Multi-Year Plan to Invest $1 Billion Annually
Yesterday, ESA sent a letter to the House Appropriations Energy & Water Subcommittee recommending $581 million in Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations as part of a multi-year strategy to elevate federal energy storage research, development, & demonstration investments.
ESA’s recommendations call for significant increases in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) FY22 investments in energy storage activities contemplated by the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, including:
- $180MM for R&D across a diversity of storage technologies,
- $150MM for a new energy storage demonstration & pilot grant program (authorized by the 2020 Energy Act),
- $47MM to complete Grid Storage Launchpad facility construction,
- $30MM to initiate a joint initiative on long duration storage with the U.S. Department of Defense,
- $24MM to continue Joint Center for Energy Storage Research operations, and
- $70MM to ramp up battery materials RD&D.
In addition, ESA’s recommendations present a multi-year investment plan that reaches $1 billion within three years, commensurate with the magnitude of storage technology development and deployment needed to meet goals to decarbonize the power system by 2035.
