ODOE to offer research and development funds for energy storage
CONTACT:
Rachel Wray, 503-689-0294
Cliff Voliva, 503-378-3637
State will partner with U.S. Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories to further energy storage research in Oregon
The Oregon Department of Energy will issue a Request for Proposals in June, offering up to $250,000 in federal funding for an electrical energy storage demonstration project. The funding is made possible by support from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, with Sandia National Laboratories providing technical project management assistance to the recipient(s). ODOE, together with Oregon BEST, will also make up to $45,000 in additional funds available to the selected project.
Energy storage is a critical strategy to managing the variability of wind and solar energy generation. Research in the field focuses on ensuring that electricity is available to match demand while making the electric grid more flexible. ODOE’s RFP will encourage implementation of 500 kW or larger electric energy storage projects that improve electric transmission and/or distribution system operations, service quality, and reliability. Applicants must have a committed utility partner or include a letter of support from the interconnecting utility.
Todd Olinsky-Paul of Clean Energy States Alliance, a nonprofit that helped to arrange the federal/state partnership, praised the arrangement. “The storage program of the U.S. DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, led by program manager Dr. Imre Gyuk, is hoping for a significant storage project in Oregon, similar to previous joint federal-state energy storage projects Dr. Gyuk has led in Vermont and Washington,” he said. “Working directly with states like Oregon has allowed U.S. DOE to deploy the expertise of the National Laboratories in support of practical energy storage applications that address real needs."
ODOE welcomes energy storage proposals from utilities, energy storage technology vendors, energy service suppliers and electric utility customers, including but not limited to municipalities, universities, and commercial and industrial businesses. Types of electric energy storage include batteries, pumped hydropower, compressed air and flywheels. There is no preference for the technology proposed, but the award recipient will be required to start the project in 2015 and provide a minimum cost share of 50 percent.
More information and the RFP announcement will be posted on the Oregon Department of Energy’s website in June: http://www.oregon.gov/energy/energy-oregon/Pages/Energy-Storage.aspx
About the Oregon Department of Energy: The Oregon Department of Energy helps Oregonians improve the energy efficiency of their homes, provides policy expertise to prepare for Oregon’s future energy needs, staffs the Energy Facility Siting Council, provides technical and financial assistance to encourage investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy resources, promotes the cleanup of the Hanford nuclear site, and ensures state preparedness to respond to emergencies at energy facilities.