Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Today's Generation of Buyers
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Believe in Better'
EPRI Selected for Three U.S. DOE Awards for Advancing Energy Storage
December 29, 2020 | PRNewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will lead three projects for advanced, bulk energy storage following selection by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for awards totaling $600,000. The projects will study innovative, non-battery solutions to bulk energy storage that are integrated with fossil assets, supporting a cleaner integrated energy network.
Large-scale energy storage options are key to increasing the amount of variable renewable energy on the grid, while also helping to reduce carbon emissions and maintain the availability of reliable and flexible power.
"Investing in research and development to improve energy storage is critical at this moment in time," said Neva Espinoza, EPRI Vice President for Energy Supply and Low-Carbon Resources. "Innovations in energy storage, along with advancements in alternative low-carbon fuels, will contribute to a grid that is both reliable and resilient. This is essential to reaching a cleaner energy future."
The projects will evaluate opportunities for deployment of thermal energy storage using liquid salt, sand, and crushed rock to capture heat from fossil generation units and store that energy during periods of low power prices. When prices increase, the energy storage system can produce power to supplement the fossil unit, creating peaking opportunities without putting additional stress on the system from ramping up and down.
The three EPRI-led projects will explore:
- A pilot-scale liquid salt combined-cycle unit. The study will develop a design for the system to be integrated into a natural gas power plant and evaluate its costs and performance to potentially advance it closer to commercial deployment.
- Sand thermal energy storage. The project will perform a feasibility study for integrating this storage technology into a coal power plant and to explore how this technology can work in conjunction with any fossil source, as well as nuclear, solar thermal, and electrical heating from renewables.
- Crushed rock as a cost-effective medium. The project will perform a feasibility study for the integration of a pilot-scale crushed rock thermal energy storage system with a natural gas power plant. The pilot represents a next-to-last demonstration before the technology can be commercially ready.
EPRI is collaborating with nine industry organizations to lead these studies, three of which are major U.S. power generators providing potential host sites for the design assessments.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.
Specially Developed for Laser Plastic Welding from LPKF
06/25/2025 | LPKFLPKF introduces TherMoPro, a thermographic analysis system specifically developed for laser plastic welding that transforms thermal data into concrete actionable insights. Through automated capture, evaluation, and interpretation of surface temperature patterns immediately after welding, the system provides unprecedented process transparency that correlates with product joining quality and long-term product stability.
United Electronics Corporation Advances Manufacturing Capabilities with Schmoll MDI-ST Imaging Equipment
06/24/2025 | United Electronics CorporationUnited Electronics Corporation has successfully installed the advanced Schmoll MDI-ST (XL) imaging equipment at their advanced printed circuit board facility. This significant technology investment represents a continued commitment to delivering superior products and maintaining their position as an industry leader in precision PCB manufacturing.
IBM, RIKEN Unveil First IBM Quantum System Two Outside of the U.S.
06/24/2025 | IBMIBM and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, today unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two ever to be deployed outside of the United States and beyond an IBM Quantum Data Center.
Excellon Installs COBRA Hybrid Laser at Innovative Circuits
06/23/2025 | ExcellonExcellon is pleased to announce the successful installation of a second COBRA Hybrid Laser System at Innovative Circuits, located in Alpharetta, Georgia. The Excellon COBRA Hybrid Laser System uniquely combines both UV and CO₂ (IR) laser sources on a single platform—making it ideal for high-density prototype and production printed circuit boards (PCBs).