Securing the transition

A UK roadmap to scaling Long-Duration Energy Storage

The UK is powering a bold industrial and digital transformation - upgrading its energy system, tripling AI data‑centre capacity and building new energy industries.

At the heart of this shift is Long Duration Energy Storage (LDES). LDES provides the reliable, long‑lasting clean power needed to run a resilient, low‑carbon energy system. It enables round the clock renewables, unlocking clean flexibility and underpinning the competitiveness of a digital, AI-driven economy.  

"Long‑duration energy storage is the key that can unlock the true potential of the clean energy revolution in the UK. It matters not just for 2030, but for the 2030s and 2040s. By then, new forms of storage will be able to maximise the use of renewables and deliver an electric economy that is more efficient and more productive. They will also provide cheap, secure, home‑grown energy. Already we are witnessing an exponential growth in battery storage globally, as countries now seek to capture the cheapest form of energy from solar to use at all times of the day - with remarkable results. 

The UK government has recognised the importance of LDES as the next stage of this development to deliver secure and reliable energy. This energy is not dependent on foreign‑owned, volatile fossil fuels. To enable LDES to succeed, the role of transition finance has never been more important. It must provide the private capital to finance both planned projects and technologies for the future.

Unlocking the investment needed to make our energy system more secure, more reliable, and more energy independent is a national priority.

I hope that this publication today is just the first chapter in the story of how the UK helped to lead the world in opening up the key opportunities that LDES will play in our clean energy future".

The Rt Hon Chris Skidmore OBE
Chair of the Transition Finance Council’s Pathways, Policies, and Governance working group

What is LDES?

• LDES technologies can store electricity for hours, days, or even weeks at a time, all at a competitive cost.
• This flexibility enables electricity to be produced and consumed at different times, thereby reducing system stress and preventing the costly overbuilding of renewable capacity.
• LDES encompasses a diverse portfolio of technologies, including Li-ion Batteries, Flow Batteries, CAES, LAES, Pumped Hydro, and Hydrogen, all of which offer distinctive advantages in terms of duration and scalability.

The aims of the Roadmap are:

• To provide a technology scale-up and financing roadmap, which can support, scale-up and mobilise financing for UK LDES.
• To give an overview of the strategic context and an idea of what the overall grid system need is for LDES in the UK.
• To emphasise the immense consumer and social benefit to scaling up LDES in the UK.
• To discuss international examples of best practice when it comes to financing LDES projects.
• To provide strategic recommendations to investors, developers, insurance markets and policymakers covering the actions and solutions required to unlock the full potential of LDES in the UK.

Who should use the Roadmap?

• Developers, to inform about potential funding models for their projects.
• Investors, to inform on what needs to be done to scale up funding to LDES technologies.
• Government institutions and regulators, to inform policy choices made in the LDES space.