This study, conducted by EPRI in collaboration with the LDES Council, presents the results of a comprehensive cost benchmarking study for LDES technologies. The study attempts to create a more complete and current public cost dataset for selected emerging LDES solutions, which are critical for enabling grid reliability and deep decarbonization. The LDES Council issued a structured survey to its technology developer members, requesting high-level performance metrics, capital and operating costs, and TRLs for their preferred commercial-scale projects. The survey covered both P2P and P2H applications, with data requested for contract years 2025 and 2030. EPRI reviewed and normalised the submitted data to a common design basis and location, enabling meaningful comparisons across technologies.
The report concludes that the technology developers active in the industry who provided costs for both contract years expect substantially lower costs in 2030 vs. 2025. Expected cost reductions by 2030 are driven by ongoing work, improved performance, and economies of scale from expanded manufacturing. The aggregated and normalised cost data provide actionable insights for utilities and system operators to incorporate LDES technologies into resource planning and capacity expansion models. The benchmarking methodology enables consistent comparison across diverse technologies and supports planning, modeling, and investment decisions. Differences between LDES Council data and other references highlight the need for harmonized cost definitions and broader technology coverage to allow fair comparisons.
Access the report here