Why is Doe launching a long duration storage shot?

Today’s announcement will help DOE realize its Long Duration Storage Shot goal of reducing the cost of LDES by 90% by 2030 and supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to advance critical clean energy technologies, expand the adoption of renewable energy resources, and strengthen America’s energy security.

Can lightning be absorbed and converted to useful energy?

Absorbing lightning and converting it to useful energy would be an extraordinary challenge, Kirtley explains. It would require complex capture and storage facilities and distribution systems that in the end would unlikely yield enough energy to justify their expense.

How much energy does a lightning strike produce?

The average lightning strike contains about 1 million joules, enough energy to fry the founding father in his boots. “The typical house in the U.S. has 100 amp service or about 28 horsepower,” says Kirtley. Unfortunately, relying on lightning bolts to power our hair dryers, TVs, and refrigerators would be far from cost effective.

Why is energy storage important?

Energy storage is essential to enabling utilities and grid operators to effectively adopt and utilize the nation’s growing portfolio of clean energy resources, like solar and wind, on demand. However, today’s energy storage technologies are not sufficiently scaled or affordable to support the broad use of renewable energy on the grid.

How much electricity does a lightning strike cost?

But even at 1 million joules, the typical lightning strike contains only about ¼ of a kilowatt-hour of power, which is not enough to make much difference on our electric bill. “We currently buy electricity at the cost of about 20 cents a kWh,” he says. “The amount of energy from a lightning bolt would be worth only about a nickel.”

How often does lightning strike?

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, lightning strikes somewhere on the earth approximately 44 times every second, but most of those strikes occur in the tropics and remote mountain regions. Constructing a state-of-the-art energy conversion and storage facility in such conditions would be enormously difficult.