A new research collaboration aims to develop GPStore, a pioneering long-duration energy storage technology that could play a vital role in supporting the UK’s transition to net zero.
The project, led by Professor Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi from The University of Manchester, has been awarded a £3 million EPSRC Critical Mass Programme Grant. It brings together expertise from industry and academia across the UK, which also includes the University of Birmingham, the University of Liverpool, Cranfield University and Imperial College London.
As the UK increases its use of renewable energy, one of the biggest challenges is how to store excess electricity generated on windy or sunny days and make it available when demand rises, or when the weather changes and turns dark, for example. GPStore aims to deliver a first-of-its-kind approach to storing clean energy for hours, weeks or months – something existing storage options cannot achieve at scale.
Professor Yasser Mahmoudi Larimi, Professor of Thermal Energy Engineering at The University of Manchester said: “GPStore addresses some of the most persistent barriers to long-duration storage – cost, scalability and environmental sustainability – and has the potential to unlock widespread renewable-energy integration across the UK and globally.”
By 2050, the UK is expected to need up to 100 terawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage to ensure a stable, affordable and low-carbon energy system. While today’s technologies, such as pumped hydro, compressed air and flow batteries, offer useful short- to medium-duration storage, they often face geographical and environmental constraints, high costs, or complex engineering, making them difficult to scale.
The novel GPStore technology takes a completely different approach. It converts surplus renewable electricity into high-temperature heat storing in solid particles, in aboveground insulated tanks. When energy is needed, the stored thermal energy is converted back to electricity. GPStore could help manage energy demand not only day-to-day, but also between summer and winter, which is essential for achieving a fully renewable, climate-resilient energy grid.
The project brings together 13 academics across five UK universities and 16 industry and policy partners, including EDF Energy, UK Power Networks, Fraser-Nash Consultancy and Manchester City Council.
