Total, the fifth-largest publicly traded oil and gas company in the world, has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) to develop new stationary batteries for solar power storage.

Both parties have signed a research agreement valued at $4 million over five years. The agreement is part of the M.I.T. Energy Initiative program, which aims to transform the global energy system to meet future challenges through research, education, campus energy management and outreach activities.

Total joined as a member of the institute’s initiative in November 2008.

The research project will focus on the development of a low-cost, long-life battery designed to store power produced by solar panels. The capability to store energy will allow for the widespread deployment of affordable, reliable energy from renewable sources, particularly from solar power.

“Total’s support for research in the storage of solar energy has the potential to be a game-changer,” said Ernest Moniz, director of the M.I.T. Energy Initiative program. “We applaud their commitment and look forward to working with them to develop low-cost storage options that could enable affordable, reliable energy from renewable sources.”

The agreement with M.I.T. is a major accomplishment for Total’s research and development activities in relation to alternative energy sources, particularly in accelerating the deployment of solar power, said Philippe Boisseau, president for gas and power of Total.

The company has a research and development budget of 770 million euros ($1.137 billion) in 2009 and has more than 600 partnership agreements with research organizations, universities and leading manufacturers.

Based in Courbevoie, France, Total has been engaged in the solar industry since 1983 through its interest in Tenesol, a company that specializes in manufacturing and operating photovoltaic energy systems, and Photovoltech, a manufacturer of solar cells based on a crystalline silicon technology.

In December 2008, the company became a core shareholder in Konarka, a start-up company in the United States that specializes in organic photovoltaic technology.

Total’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext.

-   Natassia Y. Laforteza