The UK government launched a 28 million-pound ($38.2 million) funding challenge to develop technologies capable of storing clean electricity for 100 hours or more, as the country seeks to reduce its reliance on natural gas and strengthen energy security.
The Ultra-Long Duration Energy Storage Challenge is to provide grants to UK innovators developing technologies, including advanced batteries and underground hydrogen storage, the UK Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and UK Research and Innovation said in a Thursday statement.
The projects are intended to store electricity when it is not needed by the grid and release it when demand rises, potentially providing enough power to homes and businesses for at least four days.
Wind and solar power are currently among the cheapest sources of electricity generation in the UK, but their intermittent output creates a need for technologies that can store energy for longer periods.
The government said greater energy storage would help reduce dependence on natural gas, while acknowledging that gas would continue to play an important role in the UK's energy system for decades. It said reducing exposure to volatile international energy markets could strengthen energy security, protect consumers from price spikes and help lower energy bills over the long term.
The challenge will focus on two areas.
The first is the development of new battery technologies capable of delivering electricity for more than 100 hours. Such electrochemical technologies have yet to be commercialized at scale, according to the government, creating an opportunity for UK companies to establish an early position in a potentially growing market and create new jobs.
The second area will support the development and testing of systems that can store hydrogen underground and release it when needed.
The government said underground hydrogen storage could reduce total energy-system costs by between 14 billion and 150 billion British pounds between 2035 and 2050.
The funding program is also part of the UK's broader effort to expand clean, domestically produced energy and cut greenhouse-gas emissions to mitigate the impact of climate change.