Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015

To amend the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish an energy storage portfolio standard, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015 2. Energy storage portfolio standard (a) In general Title VI of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 ( 16 U.S.C. 2601 et seq. 610. Energy storage portfolio standard (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Energy storage device The term energy storage device (2) Retail electric supplier (A) In general The term retail electric supplier (i) sells electric energy to electric consumers; and (ii) sold not less than 500,000 megawatt hours of electric energy to electric consumers for purposes other than resale during the preceding calendar year. (B) Inclusion The term retail electric supplier (C) Exclusions The term retail electric supplier (i) the United States, a State, any political subdivision of a State, or any agency, authority, or instrumentality of the United States, a State, an Indian tribe, or a political subdivision; or (ii) a rural electric cooperative. (D) Sales to parent companies or affiliates For purposes of this paragraph, sales by any person to a parent company or to other affiliates of the person shall not be treated as sales to electric consumers. (b) Requirements (1) Primary standards Subject to paragraph (2) and except as provided in subsection (e)(2), each retail electric supplier shall achieve compliance with the following energy storage portfolio standards by the following dates: (A) January 1, 2021 Not later than January 1, 2021, each retail electric supplier shall have available on the system of the retail electric supplier energy storage devices with a power capacity rating equal to not less than 1 percent of the annual average peak power demand of the system, as— (i) measured over a 1-hour period; and (ii) averaged over the period of calendar years 2017 through 2019. (B) January 1, 2025 Not later than January 1, 2025, each retail electric supplier shall have available on the system of the retail electric supplier energy storage devices with a power capacity rating equal to not less than 2 percent of the annual average peak power demand of the system, as— (i) measured over a 1-hour period; and (ii) averaged over the period of calendar years 2021 through 2023. (2) Secondary standard Of each applicable storage capacity required under paragraph (1), at least 50 percent shall be sufficient to provide electricity at the rated capacity for a duration of not less than 1 hour. (c) Inclusions The following may be used to comply with the energy storage portfolio standards established by subsection (b): (1) Energy storage devices associated with a retail customer of the retail electric supplier. (2) Energy storage owned or operated by the retail electric supplier. (3) Energy storage devices that are electrically connected to the retail electric supplier and available to provide power, including storage owned by— (A) a third party; (B) a regional transmission entity; or (C) a transmission or generation entity. (d) Exclusion An energy storage device placed in operation before January 1, 2009, may not be used to achieve compliance with the energy storage portfolio standards established by subsection (b). (e) Deadline for compliance (1) In general Subject to paragraph (2), the chief executive officer of each retail electric supplier shall certify to the Secretary compliance with the energy storage portfolio standards established by subsection (b) by the applicable dates specified in that subsection. (2) Waivers (A) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the Secretary may provide to a retail electric supplier a waiver of an applicable deadline under subsection (b) for a period of 1 calendar year, if the Secretary determines that achieving compliance by the applicable deadline would present undue hardship to— (i) the retail electric supplier; or (ii) ratepayers of the retail electric supplier. (B) Additional waivers The Secretary may provide to a retail electric supplier such additional 1-year waivers under subparagraph (A) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate on making a subsequent determination under that subparagraph. . (b) Table of contents amendment The table of contents of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. prec. 2601) is amended by adding at the end of the items relating to title VI the following: Sec. 609. Rural and remote communities electrification grants. Sec. 610. Energy storage portfolio standard. .

Summary: Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish national energy storage standards for certain electric power suppliers (utilities) that sell at least 500,000 megawatt hours of electric energy annually. Each supplier must have energy storage devices that have the capacity to provide at least 1% of its annual average peak power demand by 2021 and 2% by 2025. Suppliers must also meet a secondary standard. Energy storage devices include those used to store energy using pumped hydropower, compressed air, batteries or other electrochemical forms, thermal forms, flywheels, capacitors, and superconducting magnets. The standards do not apply to rural electric cooperatives or government-owned suppliers. An energy storage device placed in operation before January 1, 2009, may not be used to achieve compliance with the standards. The Department of Energy may provide one-year waivers from the deadlines if achieving the standard by the deadline would present undue hardship to the supplier or its ratepayers.