Voucher Opportunity 7: Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES) Technology Acceleration (Recipients)
Information
Description
Are you a long duration energy storage (LDES) technology innovator?
This voucher opportunity seeks to provide LDES technology companies, including developers, vendors and manufacturers, with services such as market assessment support, business plan formulation, technical modeling or analysis, testing, performance validation, and commercialization strategy support. This support will come from providers, such as national labs, consulting firms, non-profits, or technology testing centers, to advance non-hydrogen, electricity-in/electricity-out LDES technologies.
Vouchers will be distributed as in-kind support, meaning that ENERGYWERX will directly reimburse the voucher provider for the work they have completed on behalf of the voucher recipients. The value of each voucher will depend on the services defined in the Providers’ capability statements, with estimated values of support services per recipient ranging from $50k to $150k.
Objective
The DOE Voucher Program builds bridges between U.S. entrepreneurs, businesses, technology developers or other relevant partners and third-party voucher providers to advance commercialization and demonstration at scale of innovative energy technologies. Voucher Opportunity (VO-7) includes market assessment support, business plan formulation, technical modeling or analysis, testing, performance validation, and commercialization strategy support for U.S. for-profit companies who are currently developing or manufacturing a long-duration energy storage (LDES) technology.
This submission window solicits proposals from potential voucher recipients. Pending availability of funds, additional submission windows may open in the future.
Voucher Projects: Expected voucher worth between $50,000 - $150,000 of work. Vouchers will be distributed as in-kind support, meaning that ENERGYWERX will directly reimburse the voucher provider for the work they have completed on behalf of the voucher recipients. Only work related to specific technology areas will be eligible to receive a voucher under this opportunity. List of eligible technology areas include:
- Lithium-ion batteries
- Flow Batteries
- Lead-acid Batteries
- Zinc Batteries
- Batteries (Other)
- Pumped Storage Hydropower (PSH)
- Compressed-Air Energy Storage (CAES)
- Mechanical (Other)
- Thermal Energy Storage (Bidirectional Electricity-in/ Electricity-out)
Note that hydrogen-based energy storage is excluded from this opportunity and hydrogen innovators are encouraged to explore other DOE opportunities that target hydrogen technologies. For more information on the listed technologies, please reference the Long Duration Storage Shot Technology Strategy Assessments, released in July 2023, that describe 10 energy storage technologies and their pathways to low cost by 2030.
DOE anticipates issuing approximately 3-7 vouchers.
Voucher Providers: Including but not limited to consulting firms, business incubators/accelerators, startup coaches, public funding experts, and National Labs.
Voucher Recipients: Limited to for-profit companies who are developing, commercializing, or manufacturing an innovative LDES technology. Such a technology must have the capability to discharge at rated power for 10 hours or more, and have a pathway to meeting the Long Duration Storage Shot goal of $0.05/kWh levelized cost of storage(LCOS) by 2030.
To support the goal of building a clean and equitable energy economy, voucher projects are encouraged to: (1) support meaningful community and labor engagement; (2) invest in America’s workforce; (3) advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA); and (4) contribute to the President’s goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to DACs (the Justice40 Initiative).
Following the submission process, recipients and providers will undergo a matchmaking process led by DOE. Please note that receiving a match is not guaranteed. Recipients may be selected to match with a provider based on factors including compatibility between recipient needs and provider capability, funding availability, impact of the voucher, and relevance to DOE objectives.
Event Updates
How to Participate
- Review the resources from the Informational Webinar/Objective Strategic Session on August 1, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET under Webinar Resources.
- Review the resources from the Informational Office Hours session on August 20, 2024 from 3:00-4:00 PM ET under Webinar Resources.
- Complete submission and upload here: Click Here to Submit (Submissions are due NLT August 28, 2024 by 3:00 PM ET)
Notice for all parties interested in ENERGYWERX events and programs: Announcement of ENERGYWERX events that are considered to have a high potential for further efforts that may be accomplished via FAR-based contracting instruments, Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for prototype projects 10 USC 4022, prizes for advanced technology achievements 10 USC 4025, and/or prize competitions 15 USC 3719, may be made at the www.energywerx.org website. All announcements made at the www.energywerx.org website are considered to satisfy the reasonable effort to obtain competition in accordance with 10 USC 4025, 15 USC 3719 (e) and 10 USC 4022. All FAR-based actions will follow announcement procedures per FAR 5.201(b) accordingly.