In 2022, the EIC launched the EIC Pathfinder Challenge call “Mid to long term and systems integrated energy storage”, which aims at developing a range of breakthrough solutions for thermal and electrical mid-long term and system integrated energy storage (MDLES), minimizing or avoiding the use of critical raw materials and capturing processes and system integration opportunities. Energy storage solutions are needed to increase the spatial and temporal matching between intermittent renewable generation and energy demand, and to facilitate the implementation of active demand response and energy efficiency measures. These technologies should rely on the use of non-critical raw materials (CRM) to enhance the EU sovereignty, be cost competitive, adopt circular approaches in their whole lifetime, and address the specific systems integration opportunities and strengths of the EU energy systems and industrial sectors.
Considering this, a portfolio of projects was selected with the specific focus on supporting reliable solutions for mid to long duration energy storage, which represent critical technologies for flexible, sustainable, and fully integrated energy systems. The MDLES portfolio originally consisted of 8 projects, which started in 1 October 2023 and will run for up to 48 months. The portfolio activities aim at stimulating collaboration among the projects and networking with the innovation ecosystem to enhance the development of the EU technological autonomy in this field. Upon judgement of a panel of experts chaired by the Programme Managers, EIC Pathfinder Open project MeBattery was granted an EIC Booster grant (MEBATFOL project, June - November 2024) and invited to be added to the MDLES portfolio.
The main goal of MEBATFOL project was to implement a first-stage (6-month long) of the incorporation process of MeBattery to the MDLES EIC Pathfinder project portfolio. The project consisted of a single Work Package (WP) entitled Incorporation of MeBattery project in the MDLES EIC Pathfinder portfolio, whose main goal was the active engagement and contribution of MeBattery’s team to implement the activities that are part of the MDLES Pathfinder portfolio WP to reinforce collaboration with the portfolio projects, with the following specific objectives:
O1. Ensure targeted workflows within the portfolio and that all contractual commitments are met in time.
O2. Contribute to elaborate the portfolio action plan.
O3. Participate in portfolio actions to foster innovation.
O4. Contribute to the portfolio dissemination and exploitation activities.
O5. Participate in the techno-economic benchmark and comparative assessment of competitiveness of electrochemical energy technologies in the portfolio.
