IB
Union Calendar No. 379
116TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 2986
[Report No. 116–472]
To amend the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007
to establish a research, development, and demonstration program for
grid-scale energy storage systems, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 23, 2019
Mr. FOSTER (for himself, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER,
and Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
AUGUST 7, 2020
Additional sponsors: Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. WELCH, Mr. BACON, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. GALLAGHER, Mr. LIPINSKI,
Mr. STIVERS, Mrs. FLETCHER, Mr. MCHENRY, Mr. CASE, Mr. CALVERT,
Mr. WEBER of Texas, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. SPANBERGER, Mr.
KATKO, Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire, Mr. KIND, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms.
LOFGREN, Mr. COX of California, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr.
HIMES, Ms. HAALAND, Mrs. LURIA, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr.
LARSEN of Washington, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. STEFANIK, Mr.
BRINDISI, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. KIM, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Mrs.
BEATTY, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. HARDER of California, Mr.
SUOZZI, Mr. KEATING, Mr. MEEKS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. JOHNSON of
Texas, Ms. PINGREE, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr.
COLE, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. MEUSER, Mr. MCADAMS, Ms. SHERRILL,
Mr. OLSON, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. STEIL, Mr. SOTO, Ms.
JUDY CHU of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Miss RICE of New York, Mr.
KHANNA, Mr. POCAN, Mr. CRIST, Mr. JOYCE of Ohio, Mr. AGUILAR, Ms.
BROWNLEY of California, Mr. COOPER, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mrs. ROD-
GERS of Washington, Mr. PHILLIPS, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. BONAMICI,
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Mr. ROSE of New York,
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. GOLDEN, Mr. PAPPAS, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr.
GALLEGO, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of
Pennsylvania, Mr. BERA, Mr. HECK, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. AMODEI, Ms.
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•HR 2986 RH
JAYAPAL, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. LUJA´N, Mr. HORSFORD, Mr. SHER-
MAN, Mr. CURTIS, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TRONE, Mr. PETERS, Ms. CRAIG, and
Ms. STEVENS
AUGUST 7, 2020
Reported with an amendment; committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 23, 2019]
A BILL
To amend the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness
Act of 2007 to establish a research, development, and
demonstration program for grid-scale energy storage sys-
tems, and for other purposes.
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•HR 2986 RH
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Better Energy Storage
4
Technology Act’’ or the ‘‘BEST Act’’.
5
SEC. 2. ENERGY STORAGE.
6
(a) IN GENERAL.—The United States Energy Storage
7
Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amend-
8
ed—
9
(1) by redesignating subsections (l) through (p)
10
as subsections (p) through (t), respectively; and
11
(2) by inserting after subsection (k) the fol-
12
lowing:
13
‘‘(l) ENERGY STORAGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
14
PROGRAM.—
15
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days
16
after the date of enactment of the Better Energy Stor-
17
age Technology Act, the Secretary shall establish a re-
18
search and development program for energy storage
19
systems, components, and materials across multiple
20
program offices of the Department.
21
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pro-
22
gram under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall—
23
‘‘(A) coordinate across all relevant program
24
offices throughout the Department, including the
25
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•HR 2986 RH
Office of Electricity, the Office of Energy Effi-
1
ciency and Renewable Energy, the Advanced Re-
2
search Projects Agency – Energy, the Office of
3
Science, and the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy
4
Security, and Emergency Response;
5
‘‘(B) adopt long-term cost, performance,
6
and demonstration targets for different types of
7
energy storage systems and for use in a variety
8
of regions, including rural areas;
9
‘‘(C) incorporate considerations of sustain-
10
ability, sourcing, recycling, reuse, and disposal
11
of materials, including critical elements, in the
12
design of energy storage systems;
13
‘‘(D) identify energy storage duration needs;
14
‘‘(E) analyze the need for various types of
15
energy storage to improve electric grid resilience
16
and reliability; and
17
‘‘(F) support research and development of
18
advanced manufacturing technologies that have
19
the potential to improve United States competi-
20
tiveness in energy storage manufacturing.
21
‘‘(3) STRATEGIC PLAN.—
22
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No later than 180 days
23
after the date of enactment of the Better Energy
24
Storage Technology Act, the Secretary shall de-
25
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•HR 2986 RH
velop a 5-year strategic plan identifying re-
1
search, development, demonstration, and com-
2
mercial application goals for the program in ac-
3
cordance with this section. The Secretary shall
4
submit this plan to the Committee on Science,
5
Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
6
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and
7
Natural Resources of the Senate.
8
‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The strategic plan sub-
9
mitted under subparagraph (A) shall—
10
‘‘(i) identify programs at the Depart-
11
ment related to energy storage systems that
12
support the research and development ac-
13
tivities described in paragraph (4), and the
14
demonstration projects under subsection
15
(m); and
16
‘‘(ii) include timelines for the accom-
17
plishment of goals developed under the plan.
18
‘‘(C) UPDATES
TO
PLAN.—Not less fre-
19
quently than once every 3 years, the Secretary
20
shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space,
21
and Technology of the House of Representatives
22
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
23
sources of the Senate an updated version of the
24
plan under subparagraph (A).
25
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(4) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT.—In car-
1
rying out the program established in paragraph (1),
2
the Secretary shall focus on developing—
3
‘‘(A) energy storage systems that can store
4
energy and deliver stored energy for a minimum
5
of 6 hours in duration to balance electricity
6
needs over the course of a single day;
7
‘‘(B) long-duration energy storage systems
8
that can store energy and deliver stored energy
9
for 10 to 100 hours in duration; and
10
‘‘(C) energy storage systems that can store
11
energy and deliver stored energy over several
12
months and address seasonal scale variations in
13
supply and demand.
14
‘‘(5) TESTING AND VALIDATION.—The Secretary
15
shall support the standardized testing and validation
16
of energy storage systems under the program through
17
collaboration with 1 or more National Laboratories,
18
including the development of methodologies to inde-
19
pendently validate energy storage technologies by—
20
‘‘(A) performance of energy storage systems
21
on the electric grid, including—
22
‘‘(i) when appropriate, testing of ap-
23
plication-driven charge and discharge pro-
24
tocols;
25
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(ii) evaluation of power capacity and
1
energy output;
2
‘‘(iii) degradation of the energy storage
3
systems from cycling and aging;
4
‘‘(iv) safety; and
5
‘‘(v) reliability testing under grid duty
6
cycles; and
7
‘‘(B) prediction of lifetime metrics.
8
‘‘(6) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub-
9
section, the Secretary shall coordinate with—
10
‘‘(A) programs and offices that aim to in-
11
crease domestic manufacturing and production
12
of energy storage systems, such as those within
13
the Department and within the National Insti-
14
tute of Standards and Technology;
15
‘‘(B) other Federal agencies that are car-
16
rying out initiatives to increase energy reli-
17
ability through the development of energy storage
18
systems, including the Department of Defense;
19
and
20
‘‘(C) other stakeholders working to advance
21
the development of commercially viable energy
22
storage systems.
23
‘‘(7) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—
24
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall
1
provide technical assistance for commercial ap-
2
plication of energy storage technologies to eligible
3
entities.
4
‘‘(B) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—Technical
5
assistance provided under this paragraph—
6
‘‘(i) may include assistance with—
7
‘‘(I) assessment of relevant tech-
8
nical and geographic characteristics;
9
‘‘(II) interconnection of electricity
10
storage systems with the electric grid;
11
and
12
‘‘(III) engineering design; and
13
‘‘(ii) may not include assistance relat-
14
ing to modification of Federal, State, or
15
local regulations or policies with respect to
16
energy storage systems.
17
‘‘(C) APPLICATIONS.—
18
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall
19
seek applications for technical assistance
20
and grants under the program—
21
‘‘(I) on a competitive basis; and
22
‘‘(II) on a periodic basis, but not
23
less frequently than once every 12
24
months.
25
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(ii) PRIORITIES.—In selecting eligible
1
entities for technical assistance for commer-
2
cial applications, the Secretary shall give
3
priority to eligible entities with projects
4
that have the greatest potential for—
5
‘‘(I) strengthening the reliability
6
and resilience of the electric grid to the
7
impact of extreme weather events,
8
power grid failures, and interruptions
9
in supply of electricity;
10
‘‘(II) reducing the cost of energy
11
storage systems; or
12
‘‘(III) facilitating the use of net
13
zero emission energy resources.
14
‘‘(8) PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this subsection, the
15
term ‘program’ means the research and development
16
program established under paragraph (1).’’.
17
(b) ENERGY STORAGE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.—
18
The United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of
19
2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231), as amended, is further amended
20
by inserting after subsection (l), as added by subsection (a),
21
the following:
22
‘‘(m) ENERGY
STORAGE
DEMONSTRATION
PRO-
23
GRAM.—
24
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
1
tablish a competitive grant program for the dem-
2
onstration of energy storage systems, as identified by
3
the Secretary, that use either—
4
‘‘(A) a single system; or
5
‘‘(B) aggregations of multiple systems.
6
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—Entities eligible to receive a
7
grant under paragraph (1) include—
8
‘‘(A) a State, territory, or possession of the
9
United States;
10
‘‘(B) a State energy office;
11
‘‘(C) a tribal organization (as defined in
12
section 3765 of title 38, United States Code);
13
‘‘(D) an institution of higher education (as
14
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education
15
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001));
16
‘‘(E) an electric utility, including—
17
‘‘(i) a rural electric cooperative;
18
‘‘(ii) a political subdivision of a State,
19
such as a municipally owned electric util-
20
ity, or any agency, authority, corporation,
21
or instrumentality of one or more State po-
22
litical subdivisions; and
23
‘‘(iii) an investor-owned utility; and
24
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(F) a private company, such as but not
1
limited to an energy storage company.
2
‘‘(3) SELECTION
REQUIREMENTS.—In selecting
3
eligible entities to receive a grant under this section,
4
the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent prac-
5
ticable—
6
‘‘(A) ensure regional diversity among eligi-
7
ble entities that receive the grants, including
8
participation by rural States and small States;
9
‘‘(B) ensure that specific projects selected for
10
grants—
11
‘‘(i) expand on the existing technology
12
demonstration programs of the Department
13
of Energy; and
14
‘‘(ii) are designed to achieve one or
15
more of the objectives described in para-
16
graph (4);
17
‘‘(C) give consideration to proposals from
18
eligible entities for securing energy storage
19
through competitive procurement or contract for
20
service; and
21
‘‘(D) prioritize projects that leverage match-
22
ing funds from non-Federal sources.
23
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•HR 2986 RH
‘‘(4) OBJECTIVES.—Each demonstration project
1
selected for a grant under paragraph (1) shall include
2
one or more of the following objectives:
3
‘‘(A) To improve the security of critical in-
4
frastructure and emergency response systems.
5
‘‘(B) To improve the reliability of the trans-
6
mission and distribution system, particularly in
7
rural areas, including high energy cost rural
8
areas.
9
‘‘(C) To optimize transmission or distribu-
10
tion system operation and power quality to defer
11
or avoid costs of replacing or upgrading electric
12
grid infrastructure, including transformers and
13
substations.
14
‘‘(D) To supply energy at peak periods of
15
demand on the electric grid or during periods of
16
significant variation of electric grid supply or
17
demand.
18
‘‘(E) To reduce peak loads of homes and
19
businesses, particularly to defer or avoid invest-
20
ments in new electric grid capacity.
21
‘‘(F) To advance power conversion systems
22
to make the systems smarter, more efficient, able
23
to communicate with other inverters, and abl
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]