Fluidic Energy, an Arizona-based based company, is in the process of developing a storage battery capable of holding enough energy to be used for industrial projects. Now, it appears, the U.S. Department of Energy is going to chip in to help them bring this battery to the industry sooner rather than later.

Last week, the Department of Energy awarded a $3 million grant to the Scottsdale company to support its research. Specifically the money is coming from Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency.

The trick is to develop the batteries AND make them affordable enough to purchase and place them at large solar and wind power plants across the United States and in other parts of the world. Developing cost-effective energy storage technologies is one way to ensure consumers of power that comes from clean, variable sources of energy — like solar and wind — won’t be left without a power source.

How close are they to developing such technology? No report on the status of the research has been released, but we’ll keep you updated when we gather some more info. Stay tuned.