Bill Summary
This legislation, titled the "Joint Long-Term Storage Act of 2019", aims to promote the development and use of long-duration energy storage technologies in the United States. It requires the Secretary of Energy to establish a demonstration initiative, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, to demonstrate the potential benefits and commercial viability of such technologies. The initiative will also investigate challenges and identify a range of technology types to improve integration with the grid. Additionally, a joint program will be established to carry out demonstration projects and help new technologies become commercially viable. The legislation authorizes appropriations of $20 million for fiscal year 2020, $40 million for fiscal year 2021, and $60 million for each fiscal year 2022 through 2024. It also amends the America COMPETES Act to authorize $60 million for the Duration Addition to electricitY Storage (DAYS) program of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) for fiscal years 2020 through 2024.
Possible Impacts
1. The Joint Long-Term Storage Act of 2019 could affect people by potentially increasing the resilience and security of the electricity grid, which could have a positive impact on the reliability and availability of energy for households and businesses.
2. The Act could also potentially lead to the development and commercial viability of new, innovative long-duration energy storage technologies, which could create new job opportunities in the energy sector.
3. The authorization of appropriations for the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) could also benefit people by providing funding for research and development of energy storage technologies, potentially leading to more efficient and cost-effective energy storage solutions in the future.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2048 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2048
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a demonstration
initiative focused on the development of long-duration energy storage
technologies, including a joint program to be established in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 28 (legislative day, June 27), 2019
Mr. King (for himself and Ms. McSally) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish a demonstration
initiative focused on the development of long-duration energy storage
technologies, including a joint program to be established in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Joint Long-Term Storage Act of
2019''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to facilitate the development of long-duration energy
storage technologies;
(2) to increase the commercial viability of long-duration
energy storage technologies; and
(3) to increase the energy resilience and energy security
and national security of the United States through the use of
long-duration energy storage technologies.
SEC. 3. LONG-DURATION ENERGY STORAGE DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Director of arpa-e.--The term ``Director of ARPA-E''
means the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Director of
the Advanced Research Projects Agency--Energy.
(2) Director of estcp.--The term ``Director of ESTCP''
means the Secretary of Defense, acting through the Director of
the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program of
the Department of Defense.
(3) Directors.--The term ``Directors'' means the Director
of ARPA-E and the Director of ESTCP, acting jointly.
(4) Initiative.--The term ``Initiative'' means the
demonstration initiative established under subsection (b).
(5) Joint program.--The term ``Joint Program'' means the
joint program established under subsection (f).
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 200 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of ARPA-E shall establish a
demonstration initiative composed of demonstration projects focused on
the development of long-duration energy storage technologies.
(c) Goals.--The goals of the Initiative shall be--
(1) to demonstrate the potential benefits of long-duration
energy storage to--
(A) the resilience of the electricity grid,
including the security of critical infrastructure; and
(B) efficient use of the electricity grid through--
(i) peak load reduction; or
(ii) avoided investments in traditional
grid infrastructure;
(2) to increase the commercial viability of long-duration
energy storage technologies;
(3)(A) to identify the range of services that long-duration
energy storage technologies can provide to the electricity
grid; and
(B) to the maximum extent practicable, to quantify the
value of those services;
(4) to investigate challenges to the greater deployment of
long-duration energy storage technologies;
(5) to identify and develop a range of technology types;
and
(6) to improve the integration of energy storage and the
grid.
(d) Selection of Projects.--To the maximum extent practicable, in
selecting demonstration projects to participate in the Initiative, the
Director of ARPA-E shall--
(1) ensure a range of technology types;
(2) ensure regional diversity among projects, including
appropriate representation of rural areas;
(3) consider microgrid, islanded, or off-grid applications;
and
(4) ensure that any project selected is designed to achieve
1 or more of the goals described in subsection (c).
(e) Cooperation With Electric Utilities.--A demonstration project
selected to participate in the Initiative may be carried out in
cooperation with the electric utility that owns the grid facilities in
the electricity control area in which the demonstration project is
carried out.
(f) Joint Program.--
(1) Establishment.--As part of the Initiative, the Director
of ARPA-E, in consultation with the Director of ESTCP, shall
establish within the Department of Energy a joint program to
carry out projects--
(A) to demonstrate promising long-duration energy
storage technologies at different scales; and
(B) to help new, innovative long-duration energy
storage technologies become commercially viable.
(2) Memorandum of understanding.--Not later than 200 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of ARPA-E
shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the
Director of ESTCP to jointly administer the Joint Program.
(3) Infrastructure.--In carrying out the Joint Program, the
Directors shall--
(A) use existing test-bed infrastructure at--
(i) Department of Energy facilities; and
(ii) Department of Defense installations;
and
(B) develop new infrastructure for identified
projects, if appropriate.
(4) Goals and metrics.--The Directors shall develop goals
and metrics for technological progress under the Joint Program
consistent with energy resilience and energy security policies.
(5) Selection of projects.--
(A) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable,
in selecting projects to participate in the Joint
Program, the Directors shall--
(i) ensure that projects are carried out
under conditions that represent a variety of
environments with different physical conditions
and market constraints; and
(ii) ensure an appropriate balance of--
(I) larger, higher-cost projects;
and
(II) smaller, lower-cost projects.
(B) Priority.--In carrying out the Joint Program,
the Directors shall give priority to demonstration
projects that--
(i) make available to the public key
engineering and field data that will accelerate
deployment of long-duration energy storage
technologies; and
(ii) will be carried out in the field.
(6) States and private sector entities.--In carrying out
the Joint Program, the Directors shall encourage--
(A) States to become laboratories of innovation in
the development of long-duration energy storage
technologies; and
(B) collaboration between participants in the Joint
Program, States, and other appropriate private sector
entities.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out the Initiative--
(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
(2) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; and
(3) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2024.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DAYS PROGRAM OF THE
ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY--ENERGY.
Section 5012(o) of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538(o)) is
amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (E)
as clauses (i) through (v), respectively, and indenting
appropriately;
(B) by striking the paragraph designation and
heading and all that follows through ``paragraphs (4)
and (5)'' in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so
redesignated) and inserting the following:
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) In general.--Subject to paragraph (4)''; and
(C) by inserting after clause (v) (as so
redesignated) the following:
``(B) DAYS program.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out the Duration Addition to
electricitY Storage program (also known as the `DAYS
program') of ARPA-E $60,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2020 through 2024.''; and
(2) in paragraph (4), in the matter preceding subparagraph
(A), by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``paragraph
(2)(A)''.
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