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					</table>Long-duration energy storage (LDES) technologies are expected to see meaningful cost reductions by 2030, driven by technological improvements, increased manufacturing scale, and supply chain maturation, according to a new study released by the <a href="https://ldescouncil.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LDES Council</a> in collaboration with the Electric Power Research Institute (<a href="https://www.epri.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EPRI</a>).
In this study, “cost reductions” are defined strictly in terms of changes in total plant cost (TPC), which is used as the primary capital expenditure metric.
Technology Groupings
The report assesses five LDES categories.
Intraday electrochemical storage includes sodium-sulfur, vanadium redox flow, and iron-salt batteries for 8 to 12-hour power-to-power applications, competing with lithium-ion systems at longer durations due to lower marginal energy costs.
Intraday pumped heat energy storage (PHES) converts electricity to thermal energy and back using hot and cold reservoirs and is assessed only for 2030 due to limited near-term readiness.
<a href="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-image-1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-89727 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-image-1.png" alt="LDES Technology groupings" width="602" height="254" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-image-1.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-image-1-300x127.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-image-1-600x253.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a>
Multi-day storage includes technologies capable of more than 100 hours of discharge, such as e-fuels, reversible fuel cells, metal-air, and geomechanical systems, defined by use case rather than technology.
Thermal energy storage (TES) focuses on power-to-heat applications using sensible or phase-change materials for industrial and district heating, with thermal efficiencies of 95–97%.
Cost Trends and Outlook
Cost ranges are expected to tighten by 2030, indicating convergence as technologies mature, manufacturing scales up, and supply chains stabilize.
TES and intraday electrochemical storage show the widest cost spreads in 2025, reflecting early-stage heterogeneity, while intraday PHES and multi-day storage report only 2030 scenarios due to insufficient 2025 data.
Intraday electrochemical energy storage is projected to have the fastest cost decline, with an average TPC reduction of approximately 37% between 2025 and 2030. On a U.S. Lower 48 basis, the 2025 TPC range is wide, spanning from $220 to $572/kWh. By 2030, the TPC range will narrow to $244-$358/kWh.
<a href="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-2.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-89728 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-2.png" alt="LDES 2" width="602" height="358" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-2.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-2-300x178.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-2-600x357.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a>
Thermal energy storage is projected to reduce TPC by 16% to 47% by 2030, suggesting that many technologies remain early on the cost curve.
<a href="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-3.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-89729 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-3.png" alt="LDES 3" width="602" height="384" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-3.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-3-300x191.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-3-600x383.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a>
Intraday compressed gas energy storage shows more moderate projected reductions of 6% to 25% by 2030, reflecting relatively mature mechanical components combined with ongoing system optimization. The 2025 TPC range is estimated at $158 to $471/kWh, narrowing to $118 to $445/kWh in 2030 on a normalized U.S. basis.
<a href="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-4.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-89730 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-4.png" alt="LDES 4" width="602" height="343" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-4.png 602w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-4-300x171.png 300w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LDES-Image-4-600x342.png 600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 602px) 100vw, 602px" /></a>
Growth rates cannot be calculated for intraday PHES and multi-day energy storage because 2025 data are unavailable, although PHES exhibits relatively narrow cost ranges in 2030.
Investment Metrics, Risks, and Policy
The report emphasizes that capital expenditure is the primary benchmarking metric for LDES, rather than the levelized cost of storage. LDES value is framed around reliability, long-duration resilience, and capacity adequacy.
Multi-day systems achieve very low dollar-per-kilowatt-hour values primarily due to long discharge durations rather than low total capital costs. Operations and maintenance costs generally account for a small share of TPC, but uncertainty remains high due to limited commercial operating experience.
Key risks highlighted include medium cost certainty levels, changing technology mixes between 2025 and 2030 datasets, unclear future operations and maintenance cost structures, and differences in cost definitions and system boundaries across studies. Many technologies remain at technology readiness level (TRL) 6 or lower, leaving commercial deployment timelines uncertain.
In December 2024, the LDES Council <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/long-duration-energy-storage-must-scale-50-times-to-meet-net-zero-demands" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that LDES must scale up 50 times faster than projected in its 2024 Annual Report. According to the report, LDES solutions of more than 1 TW and up to 8 TW are needed by 2030 and 2040, respectively, globally to achieve the net-zero emissions target.

Long-Duration Energy Storage Costs Expected to Decline Significantly by 2030: Report

Here are some of the significant cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:
Turkey’s electricity generation from solar projects increased by 50% in February 2021 compared to February 2020, the country’s energy and natural resources minister Fatih Donmez <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/energy/natural-gas/turkey-s-solar-power-generation-soars-50-energy-min/32231?amp=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. The share of solar power in Turkey’s power mix has increased by 3.7% since it came online in 2002. Solar power constitutes 7.1% of the installed capacity, with the installed solar capacity reaching 6.8 GW by the end of February this year. The country ranks third in Europe and ninth in the world in terms of installed solar capacity since 2014.
AGL, an Australian energy company, <a href="https://www.agl.com.au/about-agl/media-centre/asx-and-media-releases/2021/march/agl-prepares-for-construction-of-grid-scale-battery-at-torrens-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that the construction of a 250 MW, one-hour duration grid-scale battery at Torrens Island would get underway this year, following AGL’s final investment decision on the project. AGL Managing Director and CEO Brett Redman said South Australia is leading the way in the rollout of AGL’s 850MW network of grid-scale batteries by the end of FY 2024. The company is targeting full operation of the system by early 2023. The battery has been planned to expand to four hours in duration, enabling AGL to adapt to changing market conditions.
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/doe-awards-epri-2-million-to-investigate-co-adoption-of-solar-energy-storage--electric-vehicles-301253913.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that it would receive a $2 million contract from the U.S. Energy Department to explore how information about solar energy spreads among consumers. EPRI was selected to examine how residential and commercial utility customers make decisions related to solar power co-adoption with other technologies, such as energy storage and electric vehicles. EPRI, in collaboration with National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will assess residential and commercial customer preferences, influences, and decision-making for adopting solar power with energy storage and electric vehicles.
Fortescue Future Industries, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortescue Metals Group, and Porto do Açu Operações S.A., a subsidiary of Prumo Logistica S.A., have <a href="https://portodoacu.com.br/en/fortescue-future-industries%e2%80%afand-port-of-acu%e2%80%afjoin-forces-to-develop-green-hydrogen-plant-in%e2%80%afbrazil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a memorandum of understanding to develop hydrogen-based green projects in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The project envisages the construction of a 300 MW capacity green hydrogen plant at Port of Açu, with a potential to produce 250,000 metric tons of green ammonia per year.
<a href="https://www.renault-trucks.com/en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Renault Trucks</a>, a subsidiary of Volvo Group, is continuing its foray into electric mobility. From 2023, an all-electric Renault Trucks offer will be available for each segment, including distribution, construction, and long-distance. The company is setting up an organization dedicated to electric mobility. It is committed to transforming the truck market by gradually electrifying its fleet to become carbon-neutral within 30 years. As trucks have a lifespan of at least ten years, all trucks manufactured by 2040 must run without fossil fuels.
Here is our <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-madhav-epc-20-mw-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous</a> daily news wrap-up.

Daily News Wrap-Up: Turkey’s Solar Power Generation Increased by 50% in February 2021

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