U.S. and German governments are supporting two projects that have a mutual goal of developing a low-cost subsea energy storage technology that supports electrical grid decarbonization with funding of $7.7 million.

The U.S. Sperra, dedicated to pioneering the next generation of renewable energy solutions through automated construction, secured a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) to advance innovation in pumped storage hydropower technologies, where it will design, fabricate, and test a 10-meter diameter, 500 kW / 600 kWh energy storage unit in the waters off Southern California.