18. May 2011 - Energy storage funding initiative

Abstract

Today, three federal ministries have launched a joint initiative for funding research and development in the area of energy storage technologies. The German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research have published the funding notice in the German Federal Gazette. Project outlines can now be submitted. Research projects will be supported for developing a wide range of technologies for storing electricity and heat.

more details

For the “Energy Storage Funding Initiative”, the three departments are providing up to 200 million euros as part of a first phase lasting until 2014. Joint programme management is intended to ensure target-oriented and efficient funding.
Although energy storage systems such as pumped storage power plants are already commercially operated today, a diverse range of technologies are still at the basic research stage or in the development phase. These include, for example, so-called RedoxFlow batteries. The same applies to thermally optimised, compressed air storage plants in which the efficiency is increased by temporarily storing the heat produced. Innovations and technological developments are urgently required in order to meet the technological challenges and to achieve a rapid market introduction of the new energy storage systems.

Notice of funding

The joint press release from the three ministries as well as the publication of the new funding initiative in the German Federal Gazette can be found on the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology website.