The Department of Energy held a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday for a grid energy storage research and development facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state.
DOE said it expects the Grid Storage Launchpad to be fully operational in 2025 for scientists to experiment with new materials, components and technology prototypes intended to store electric power.
The $75 million project received investments from the state government, PNNL and the lab’s management contractor Battelle.
“Energy storage is a critical step on the path to getting more renewable power on the system, supporting a growing fleet of electric vehicles, making our grid more reliable, and securing our clean energy future. Breakthroughs at this exciting facility will help provide clean, affordable, and resilient energy to everyone, everywhere, anytime,” said Gil Bindewald, acting principal deputy assistant secretary in the DOE Office of Electricity.