WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a hearing of the Senate Energy and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) spoke with Dr. Preston Griffith, the nominee to serve as the Under Secretary of Energy, and Dr. Dario Gil, the nominee to serve as the Under Secretary of Energy for Science, about the need to prioritize energy storage technology as America works toward an “all of the above” energy future, making clear the value of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. During the exchange, Senator King asked the two nominees to commit to further research and development of emerging power technologies to help strengthen grid storage capacity and unlock America’s renewable energy potential.

“One of the technologies I’m most interested in is storage because we are talking about development of the grid and stabilization of the grid. And I hope that both of you will remain committed to the research and development of storage capacity on the grid because I think that is part of the solution. Do you agree, Dr. Gil,” questioned Senator King.

“Thank you for the question. Let me also just say since you are representing Maine, that I have a long connection with Maine. My wife and in-laws are from Maine, so I’ve been going for many decades and it’s a pleasure,” replied Dr. Gil.

“Wonderful. Tell her to tell your in-laws she saw me working,” said Senator King.

“Will do so. And yes, I completely agree on the importance of storage technology. It is an essential part not only of present electricity systems, but also in the future. I will also point out that within the science portfolio of the Department, we also have a lot of opportunity to accelerate the opportunity for discovery of novel, more safe, and efficient storage technologies. So, the commitment is twofold. It is both a recognition of the importance that storage plays but also that we have to do a lot of discovery to make sure that we can take a very significant leap forward, which we can do by harnessing these capabilities on AI and in the future quantum computing as well,” responded Dr. Gil.

“Mr. Griffith, I assume you believe storage is a part of all of the above,” asked Senator King.

“Yes, Senator, absolutely. Thank you for your question. It is the holy grail. We need all energy sources, technology — we need to bring them all to bear to meet this growing demand,” agreed Dr. Griffith.

As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator King has advocated for climate solutions that deliver on the clean energy potential of the historic Inflation Reduction Act. He has repeatedly emphasized the importance of permitting reform to deliver carefully considered, timely approvals of sorely-needed clean energy projects. Senator King has also been one of the Senate’s most vocal advocates for improving energy storage technologies and development and worked to include significant storage investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Most recently, Senator King reiterated the importance of an “all of the above” energy policy strategy during an ENR hearing considering the nominations of Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

###