Built to Last: Reliability and Long-Duration Capacity with Non-Battery Energy Storage
Flexible Grid Technologies Webinar Series, Episode 3 | Hosted by CLEAResult Energetics
Topic: Hydrogen and thermal energy storage as longer-duration, more reliable alternatives to batteries for utilities and industrial sites
When: Thursday, August 27, 1–2 p.m. CT
Format: Live virtual webinar, 60 minutes (presentations, panel and live Q&A)
Speakers: David Voss, Chase de Leon, and Ookie Ma
Moderator: Kiran Srivastava
Register now
Why this matters right now
Batteries dominate much of the energy storage conversation, but they’re not always the right fit. They excel at short bursts of power, not full-day or seasonal storage. Hydrogen and thermal storage can help fill that gap: they hold energy for much longer periods without relying on the same constrained battery-metal supply chains.
Regulators are starting to notice:
- California: In August 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission authorized procurement for up to 1 GW of long-duration storage, requiring 12-plus-hour capacity and excluding lithium-ion batteries.
- South Dakota: Regulators approved a first-of-its-kind thermal energy pricing tariff that now powers a 5 GWh, multi-day thermal storage system that delivers clean industrial heat to a biorefinery.
- Federal: The Clean Hydrogen Production Tax Credit now offers up to $3/kg for eligible projects breaking ground before 2028.
Non-battery storage isn't a secondary option to batteries. It's a different tool for a different job, and one the industry needs to be talking about far more.
What you'll hear
This session will connect the technical, utility, and industrial perspectives with short presentations and a real-world case study, followed by a panel discussion and live Q&A.
- The technology: How a leading non-battery storage method works and why it's scaling
- The utility perspective: Real challenges in evaluating and deploying thermal storage
- A case study: Integrating thermal energy storage into industrial facilities with large steam and power demands, and what it means for utilities, technology providers, and industrial site operators
- Real-world relevance: Where non-battery storage already matters today, including hospitals, labs, and other sites with continuous energy needs
Who should attend
- Utility program managers evaluating storage beyond batteries
- Technology providers in hydrogen or thermal storage
- Industrial facility managers focused on reliability and cost
- Policy and program design professionals
Meet the speakers
David Voss, Energy Transition Consultant for CLEAResult Energetics, with 32 years of experience in hydrogen and alternative-fuel technology, including nearly two decades at solar turbines developing long-duration energy storage systems. M.S. Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Tech.
Chase de Leon, Industrial Process Heating Engineer for CLEAResult Energetics, supporting the U.S. Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Office. Background in scaling industrial energy efficiency and utility incentive programs at CLEAResult and EnerNOC. B.S. Mechanical Engineering, UC Berkeley.
Ookie Ma, Senior Subject Matter Expert at CLEAResult Energetics with 16+ years in energy research, including over a decade at the DOE. Currently leads techno-economic analysis work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory on thermal energy storage integration into industrial facilities. PhD Physics, Brown University.