The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced just under $13 million in awards to 15 projects on 6 November 2026, for product development and demonstration of long-duration energy storage (LDES) and advanced batteries under its Power Generation and Storage Innovation Program. Funding comes from the state's Clean Energy Fund.
Selection priorities included safety-by-design, materials that extend cell life or raise efficiency, and technology diversity.
The largest award: iron-sodium at a substation
Inlyte Energy received the largest award, over $2.4 million, to install an iron-sodium (sodium metal chloride) battery capable of more than 10 hours of discharge at a substation, addressing peak load growth and distribution grid resilience. The chemistry was originally developed for electric vehicles in the 1980s and 1990s as sodium-nickel chloride; Inlyte replaces nickel in the cathode with iron to cut cost while using abundant iron, sodium and salt.
Flow, air and thermal among the non-lithium picks
Sprocket Power received over $1 million to demonstrate a DC fast-charging site powered by an underground-installed vanadium redox flow battery. Because flow batteries hold electrolyte in external tanks, power (set by stack size) and energy (set by electrolyte volume) can be designed relatively independently.
Aestus Energy Storage received over $590,000 to develop advanced compressed air energy storage, testing two alumina-silica ceramic thermal storage materials at roughly 35 kWh scale, with results to inform a 20 MWh system design. Urban Electric Power received just under $1.5 million for a zinc-manganese dioxide system, and Respire Energy over $850,000 to prototype and test components for its proprietary metal-air battery.
Sodium-ion awards included Standard Potential ($1.8 million for a portable sodium-ion power source for urban demand response) and Alsym Energy (over $290,000 for a 10 kWh non-flammable system with the RIT Battery Development Center).
Two-thirds of the money went to non-lithium
Of the 15 awards, eight were lithium-based (~$4.42 million), three sodium-based (~$4.49 million) and four "other" (~$3.94 million) — roughly 34%, 35% and 31% of funding, meaning about 66% went to non-lithium chemistries and storage types.
The programme sits inside a larger state target: a 20 June 2024 Public Service Commission order raised New York's 2030 storage goal from 3 GW to 6 GW, requiring about 4,700 MW of new build on top of roughly 1.3 GW procured or contracted (3,000 MW bulk, 1,500 MW retail, 200 MW residential). Bulk storage is procured through annual competitive solicitations, each with a goal that 20% of awards be 8-hour-class duration — a target, not a binding requirement.
This article was assisted by AI analysis. Please refer to the original source for official information.