On June 14, the Renewable Thermal Collaborative (RTC) submitted a response to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Request for Information (RFI) on energy storage demonstration program implementation. The bipartisan infrastructure law (BIL) appropriated $505 million to DOE to advance energy storage. This funding supports deploying technologies that demonstrate lower costs and longer durations than what is typically available commercially and aligns with DOE’s Energy Storage Grand Challenge objectives. In its response, the RTC made a case for supporting novel thermal storage technologies, such as Electrified Thermal Energy Storage. This technology demonstrates highly efficient, cost-effective, and cross-sectoral decarbonization potential relying on common materials to store heat converted directly from low-cost renewable generation.
