Navigating the investment case for co-located long-duration energy storage: Delivering 3x Renewables by 2030

Building more renewable energy is essential, but it is not enough on its own. Without solutions like Long-Duration Energy Storage (LDES) to address the intermittency of renewable production, the transition to a cleaner future risks falling short of its goals. LDES provides the flexibility needed to balance supply and demand over multiple hours or even days, helping deliver clean, firm power when and where it’s needed most.

To address the intermittency challenge, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), in collaboration with ERM and leading energy sector companies, presents “Navigating the investment case for co-located long-duration energy storage: Delivering 3x Renewables by 2030.”

By examining the intersection of LDES and renewable energy co-location (also known as hybrid solutions), the publication offers a forward-looking perspective on how companies can strategically invest in storage to support long-term system reliability, unlock greater renewable capacity, reduce emissions, and enable new ways of purchasing clean electricity that match real-time needs.

The resource highlights:

• Why to invest in LDES
• The diverse applications of LDES technologies
• The main roadblocks to scaling LDES technologies
• Case studies demonstrating business case considerations for colocation projects
• Recommendations for policymakers, investors, and industry on how to accelerate the deployment of colocation projects and strengthen the business case.

This new publication provides insights on how businesses can take the lead in integrating LDES in their investment or procurement strategies, and how policymakers can establish the necessary conditions to foster investment in these technologies. In particular:

• Business development teams can use this brief to unlock new revenue streams, strengthen renewable project value, and fast-track co-located LDES opportunities within their renewable portfolios.
• Investors should explore how LDES can bring long-term value to their energy portfolios and tap into new, diversified revenue streams while supporting grid resilience and ESG goals.
• Senior decision-makers in companies should integrate LDES into their business strategies. This includes assessing its potential to reduce Scope 1–3 emissions, mandate internal reviews of LDES eligibility within their portfolios and signal corporate leadership by participating in initiatives promoting LDES visibility.
• Governments and regulators must urgently define LDES in legal frameworks, remove regulatory barriers to co-location (e.g. grid connection constraints, taxation), and align incentives with system value. They should also set national targets for LDES in NDCs, simplify permitting, and mainstream support tools such as 24/7 PPAs, time-stamped Guarantees of Origin (GO), and Contracts for Difference (CfD) tailored to LDES.

Explore the resource to understand why LDES is a key investment for the future of a clean, reliable energy system.