I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2909 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an energy storage research 

program, a demonstration program, and a technical assistance and grant 

program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2019 

Mr. CASTEN of Illinois (for himself, Mr. LUJA ́N, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. BACON, Mr. TONKO, Mr. FOSTER, 

and Mr. WELCH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee 

on Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Energy to establish an energy 

storage research program, a demonstration program, and 

a technical assistance and grant program, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting Grid Stor5 age Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘en4 ergy storage system’’ means equipment or facilities 

5 relating to the electric grid that are capable of ab6 sorbing energy, storing the energy for a period of 

7 time, and dispatching the energy, that— 

8 (A) use mechanical, electrochemical, bio9 chemical, or thermal processes to store energy 

10 that was generated at an earlier time for use at 

11 a later time; 

12 (B) use mechanical, electrochemical, bio13 chemical, or thermal processes to store energy 

14 generated from mechanical processes that would 

15 otherwise be wasted for delivery at a later time; 

16 or 

17 (C) store thermal energy for direct use for 

18 heating or cooling at a later time in a manner 

19 that avoids the need to use electricity at that 

20 later time, as is offered by grid-enabled water 

21 heaters. 

22 (2) ISLANDING.—The term ‘‘islanding’’ means 

23 a distributed generator or energy storage device con24 tinuing to power a location in the absence of electric 

25 power from the primary source. 


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1 (3) MICROGRID.—The term ‘‘microgrid’’ means 

2 an integrated energy system consisting of inter3 connected loads and distributed energy resources, in4 cluding generators and energy storage devices, with5 in clearly defined electrical boundaries that— 

6 (A) acts as a single controllable entity with 

7 respect to the grid; and 

8 (B) can connect and disconnect from the 

9 grid to operate in both grid-connected mode 

10 and island mode. 

11 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

12 the Secretary of Energy. 

13 SEC. 3. ENERGY STORAGE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

15 cross-cutting national program within the Department of 

16 Energy for the research of energy storage systems, compo17 nents, and materials. 

18 (b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing 

19 the program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

20 (1) identify and coordinate across all relevant 

21 program offices throughout the Department of En22 ergy key areas of existing and future research with 

23 respect to a portfolio of technologies and approaches; 

24 and 


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1 (2) adopt long-term cost, performance, and im2 plementation targets for specific applications of en3 ergy storage systems. 

4 SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

7 a technical assistance and grant program (referred 

8 to in this section as the ‘‘program’’)— 

9 (A) to disseminate information and provide 

10 technical assistance directly to eligible entities 

11 so the eligible entities can identify, evaluate, 

12 plan, design, and develop processes to procure 

13 energy storage systems; and 

14 (B) to make grants to eligible entities so 

15 that the eligible entities may contract to obtain 

16 technical assistance to identify, evaluate, plan, 

17 design, and develop processes to procure energy 

18 storage systems. 

19 (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The technical assist21 ance described in paragraph (1) shall include 

22 assistance with one or more of the following ac23 tivities relating to energy storage systems: 

24 (i) Identification of opportunities to 

25 use energy storage systems. 


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1 (ii) Assessment of technical and eco2 nomic characteristics. 

3 (iii) Utility interconnection. 

4 (iv) Permitting and siting issues. 

5 (v) Business planning and financial 

6 analysis. 

7 (vi) Engineering design. 

8 (B) EXCLUSION.—The technical assistance 

9 described in paragraph (1) shall not include as10 sistance relating to modification of Federal, 

11 State, or local regulations or policies relating to 

12 energy storage systems. 

13 (3) INFORMATION DISSEMINATION.—The infor14 mation disseminated under paragraph (1)(A) shall 

15 include— 

16 (A) information relating to the topics de17 scribed in paragraph (2), including case studies 

18 of successful examples; 

19 (B) computer software for assessment, de20 sign, and operation and maintenance of energy 

21 storage systems; and 

22 (C) public databases that track the oper23 ation of existing and planned energy storage 

24 systems. 


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1 (b) ELIGIBILITY.—Any not-for-profit or for-profit en2 tity shall be eligible to receive technical assistance and 

3 grants under the program. 

4 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring 

6 technical assistance or grants under the program 

7 shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 

8 time, in such manner, and containing such informa9 tion as the Secretary may require. 

10 (2) APPLICATION PROCESS.—The Secretary 

11 shall seek applications for technical assistance and 

12 grants under the program— 

13 (A) on a competitive basis; and 

14 (B) on a periodic basis, but not less fre15 quently than once every 12 months. 

16 (3) PRIORITIES.—In selecting eligible entities 

17 for technical assistance and grants under the pro18 gram, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible en19 tities with projects that have the greatest potential 

20 for— 

21 (A) strengthening the reliability and resil22 iency of energy infrastructure to the impact of 

23 extreme weather events, power grid failures, 

24 and interruptions in supply of fossil fuels; 


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1 (B) reducing the cost of energy storage 

2 systems; 

3 (C) facilitating the use of renewable energy 

4 resources; 

5 (D) minimizing environmental impact, in6 cluding regulated air pollutants and greenhouse 

7 gas emissions; 

8 (E) improving the feasibility of microgrids 

9 or islanding, particularly in rural areas, includ10 ing high energy cost rural areas; and 

11 (F) maximizing local job creation. 

12 (d) GRANTS.—On application by an eligible entity, 

13 the Secretary may award grants to the eligible entity to 

14 provide funds to cover not more than— 

15 (1) 100 percent of the costs of the initial as16 sessment to identify net system benefits of using en17 ergy storage systems; 

18 (2) 75 percent of the cost of guidance relating 

19 to methods to assess energy storage in long-term re20 source planning and resource procurement; 

21 (3) 60 percent of the cost of studies to assess 

22 the cost-benefit ratio of energy storage systems; and 

23 (4) 50 percent of the cost of guidance on com24 plying with State and local regulatory technical 


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1 standards, including siting and permitting stand2 ards. 

3 (e) RULES AND PROCEDURES.— 

4 (1) RULES.—Not later than 180 days after the 

5 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

6 adopt rules and procedures for carrying out the pro7 gram. 

8 (2) GRANTS.—Not later than 120 days after 

9 the date of issuance of the rules and procedures for 

10 the program, the Secretary shall issue grants under 

11 this section. 

12 (f) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit to Con13 gress and make available to the public— 

14 (1) not less frequently than once every 2 years, 

15 a report describing the performance of the program 

16 under this section, including a synthesis and analysis 

17 of any information the Secretary requires grant re18 cipients to provide to the Secretary as a condition of 

19 receiving a grant; and 

20 (2) on termination of the program under this 

21 section, an assessment of the success of, and edu22 cation provided by, the measures carried out by eli23 gible entities under the program. 


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1 SEC. 5. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY WORKSHOPS. 

2 The Secretary shall hold one or more workshops dur3 ing each of calendar years 2021 and 2023 to facilitate the 

4 sharing, across the Department of Energy, the States, 

5 local and Tribal governments, industry, and the academic 

6 research community, of research developments and new 

7 technical knowledge gained in carrying out sections 3 and 

8 4. 

9 SEC. 6. ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM DEMONSTRATION PRO10 GRAM. 

11 (a) ENERGY STORAGE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es13 tablish a competitive grant program for pilot energy 

14 storage systems, as identified by the Secretary, that 

15 use either— 

16 (A) a single system; or 

17 (B) aggregations of multiple systems. 

18 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—Entities eligible to receive a 

19 grant under paragraph (1) include— 

20 (A) a State, territory, or possession of the 

21 United States; 

22 (B) a State energy office; 

23 (C) a tribal organization (as defined in sec24 tion 3765 of title 38, United States Code); 


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1 (D) an institution of higher education (as 

2 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); 

4 (E) an electric utility, including— 

5 (i) a rural electric cooperative; 

6 (ii) a political subdivision of a state, 

7 such as a municipally owned electric util8 ity, or any agency, authority, corporation, 

9 or instrumentality of one or more state po10 litical subdivisions; and 

11 (iii) an investor-owned utility; and 

12 (F) a private energy storage company that 

13 is a small business concern (as defined in sec14 tion 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 

15 632)). 

16 (3) SELECTION REQUIREMENTS.—In selecting 

17 eligible entities to receive a grant under this section, 

18 the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent prac19 ticable— 

20 (A) ensure regional diversity among eligi21 ble entities that receive the grants, including 

22 participation by rural States and small States; 

23 (B) ensure that specific projects selected 

24 for grants— 


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1 (i) expand on the existing technology 

2 demonstration programs of the Depart3 ment of Energy; and 

4 (ii) are designed to achieve one or 

5 more of the objectives described in para6 graph (4); 

7 (C) prioritize projects from eligible entities 

8 that do not have an energy storage system; 

9 (D) give consideration to proposals from 

10 eligible entities for securing energy storage 

11 through competitive procurement or contract 

12 for service; 

13 (E) prioritize projects that coordinate with 

14 the local incumbent utility for in-front-of-the15 meter projects that do not formally involve a 

16 utility; and 

17 (F) prioritize projects that leverage match18 ing funds from non-Federal sources. 

19 (4) OBJECTIVES.—Each demonstration project 

20 selected for a grant under paragraph (1) shall in21 clude one or more of the following objectives: 

22 (A) To improve the security of critical in23 frastructure and emergency response systems. 

24 (B) To improve the reliability of the trans25 mission and distribution system, particularly in 


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1 rural areas, including high energy cost rural 

2 areas. 

3 (C) To optimize transmission or distribu4 tion system operation and power quality to 

5 defer or avoid costs of replacing or upgrading 

6 electric grid infrastructure, including trans7 formers and substations. 

8 (D) To supply energy at peak periods of 

9 demand on the electric grid or during periods of 

10 significant variation of electric grid supply. 

11 (E) To reduce peak loads of homes and 

12 businesses, particularly to defer or avoid invest13 ments in new electric grid capacity. 

14 (F) To advance power conversion systems 

15 to make the systems smarter, more efficient, 

16 able to communicate with other inverters, and 

17 able to control voltage. 

18 (G) To provide ancillary services for grid 

19 stability and management. 

20 (H) To integrate a renewable energy re21 source production source at the source or away 

22 from the source. 

23 (I) To increase the feasibility of microgrids 

24 or islanding. 


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1 (J) To enable the use of stored energy in 

2 forms other than electricity to support the nat3 ural gas system and other industrial processes. 

4 (5) RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Any eli5 gible entity that receives a grant under paragraph 

6 (1) may only use the grant to fund programs relat7 ing to the demonstration of energy storage systems 

8 connected to the electric grid, including energy stor9 age systems sited behind a customer revenue meter. 

10 (6) FUNDING LIMITATIONS.— 

11 (A) FEDERAL COST SHARE.—The Federal 

12 cost share of a project carried out with a grant 

13 under paragraph (1) shall be not more than 50 

14 percent of the total costs incurred in connection 

15 with the development, construction, acquisition 

16 of components for, or engineering of a dem17 onstration project. 

18 (B) MAXIMUM GRANT.—The maximum 

19 amount of a grant awarded under paragraph 

20 (1) shall be $5,000,000. 

21 (7) NO PROJECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST.—The 

22 United States shall hold no equity or other owner23 ship interest in an energy storage system for which 

24 a grant is provided under paragraph (1). 


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1 (8) COMPARABLE WAGE RATES.—Each laborer 

2 and mechanic employed by a contractor or subcon3 tractor in performance of construction work fi4 nanced, in whole or in part, by the grant shall be 

5 paid wages at rates not less than the rates prevailing 

6 on similar construction in the locality as determined 

7 by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sub8 chapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 

9 Code. 

10 (b) RULES AND PROCEDURES; AWARDING OF

11 GRANTS.— 

12 (1) RULES AND PROCEDURES.—Not later than 

13 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 

14 Secretary shall adopt rules and procedures for car15 rying out the grant program under subsection (a). 

16 (2) AWARDING OF GRANTS.—Not later than 1 

17 year after the date on which the rules and proce18 dures under paragraph (1) are established, the Sec19 retary shall award the initial grants provided under 

20 this section. 

21 (c) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit to Con22 gress and make publicly available— 

23 (1) not less frequently than once every 2 years 

24 for the duration of the grant program under sub25 section (a), a report describing the performance of 


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1 the grant program, including a synthesis and anal2 ysis of any information the Secretary requires grant 

3 recipients to provide to the Secretary as a condition 

4 of receiving a grant; and 

5 (2) on termination of the grant program under 

6 subsection (a), an assessment of the success of, and 

7 education provided by, the measures carried out by 

8 grant recipients under the grant program. 

9 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated— 

11 (1) for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024, 

12 $175,000,000 to carry out section 3; 

13 (2) for the period of fiscal years 2020 through 

14 2024, $100,000,000 to carry out section 4, to re15 main available until expended; and 

16 (3) for the period of fiscal years 2020 through 

17 2024, $150,000,000 to carry out section 6, to re18 main available until expended. 

Æ 


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