Energy solutions company, Sperra, Los Angeles, Calif., was recently awarded a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office to advance innovation in pumped storage hydropower technologies. In the project, Sperra will design, fabricate, and test a 33’ diameter, 500 kW / 600 kWh energy storage unit off the coast of Southern California.
The DOE funding also unlocks $3.7 million from the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) in the form of a parallel pump and turbine development project run by Fraunhofer IEE and PLEUGER Industries GmbH, the Sperra press release said. The collaborative work of both projects is intended to develop a low-cost subsea energy storage technology that supports electrical grid decarbonization.
Sperra states that subsea pumped storage hydropower (SPSH) provides the same benefits as traditional pumped storage hydropower, but avoids many of the land-based challenges. The company notes this technology is a strong alternative to batteries because it does not rely on the critical materials needed for battery production and can largely be manufactured with locally-sourced concrete. The company also highlights that the U.S. has a vast potential for SPSH, with approximately 75 terawatt-hours of unused offshore potential, which is more than twice the potential of onshore closed-loop pumped storage.
“This project is a major step forward to realizing the full potential of energy storage to decarbonize our electric grid,” said Jason Cotrell, CEO and founder of Sperra. “SPSH with 3D-printed concrete will accelerate the energy transition, employing local labor and using immediately available materials. We are very excited about the international collaboration on this project with Fraunhofer IEE and PLEUGER, and are grateful that the Water Power Technologies Office recognizes the tremendous potential of this work.”
