UK RESEARCH and Innovation has launched a £28million challenge aimed at developing technology capable of storing clean electricity for more than four days, with the potential to strengthen Britain’s energy security and reduce exposure to volatile energy prices.
The Ultra-Long Duration Energy Storage Challenge, known as Ultra-LDES, will support UK innovators working on technologies capable of storing and supplying electricity for at least 100 hours.
The programme, launched by UK Research and Innovation, UKRI, on August 20, will focus principally on advanced battery technologies and underground hydrogen storage.
The aim is to develop ways of storing electricity generated by renewable sources when it is not immediately required by the grid, before releasing it when demand increases or generation falls.
Wind and solar power depend on weather conditions, meaning electricity generation can vary considerably. When renewable generation is insufficient to meet demand, the electricity system relies on other sources, including gas-fired generation.
UKRI says significantly increasing Britain’s ability to store electricity for extended periods could reduce reliance on gas, strengthen energy security and help protect consumers from international energy price volatility.
Gas is, however, expected to continue playing an important role in Britain’s energy system for decades.
The Ultra-LDES Challenge will concentrate on two principal areas of technology.
The first will support the development of new electrochemical battery systems capable of providing electricity for more than 100 hours.
These technologies have not yet been commercialised at scale, and UKRI believes Britain has an opportunity to establish an early position in the emerging sector, creating skilled jobs and attracting private investment.
The second area will support the development and testing of systems capable of storing hydrogen underground and releasing it when required.
According to UKRI, underground hydrogen storage could potentially reduce total energy system costs by between £14billion and £50billion between 2035 and 2050.
Science Minister Chris McDonald said developing the ability to store renewable electricity for longer periods could improve energy security and reduce bills over the longer term.
He said: “If we can meet the challenge of storing energy from renewables, we will improve our energy security, bring down energy bills in the long-term, and leave all of us better off.”
Jenny Hill, UKRI’s Clean Energy Challenge Director, said ensuring Britain had technologies capable of storing electricity efficiently was an important part of creating a more secure energy system.
She said: “This Challenge will help propel the UK to the forefront of the global energy storage market, creating skilled jobs and attracting private investment.”
The initiative has also been welcomed by Hydrogen UK.
Chief executive Clare Jackson said ultra-long duration storage could play an important role in creating a more secure and lower-carbon energy system, with hydrogen providing one method of storing renewable energy for extended periods.
Alongside the wider challenge, UKRI has launched a competition offering up to £3million for studies into electrochemical ultra-long duration energy storage technologies.
The work will examine new battery technologies capable of delivering cost-effective electricity to the UK grid for at least 100 hours.
The Ultra-LDES Challenge forms part of £102million of clean energy challenges being delivered through UKRI.
That includes £74million for a consumer-led flexibility challenge, which is intended to support technologies capable of shifting electricity consumption towards periods when power is cheaper and more readily available.
The programmes form part of the wider R&D Missions Accelerator Programme, which is investing at least £500million in research and development by 2030.
Projects supported through the programme are also expected to work with academia, industry and the third sector, with an ambition of attracting a further £1.5billion in private investment by 2030.
UKRI’s longer-term ambitions for Ultra-LDES include supporting one or two demonstration energy storage systems exceeding 100MWh by 2030, followed by deployment on the electricity grid at gigawatt-hour scale by 2035.
The announcement also comes as Ofgem consults on proposals to support 16 long-duration electricity storage projects, potentially enabling the first new pumped-storage hydropower projects in Britain for more than 40 years.
The Ultra-LDES Challenge is being delivered by UKRI in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and other government departments, with funding allocated through research councils and Innovate UK.
For more details go to UKRI.
