Joint Long-Term Storage Act of 2020

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. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Joint Long-Term Storage Act of 2020 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. 3. Long-duration energy storage demonstration initiative (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Director of ARPA–E The term Director of ARPA–E (2) Director of ESTCP The term Director of ESTCP (3) Directors The term Directors (4) Initiative The term Initiative (5) Joint Program The term Joint Program (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 one 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 2021; (2) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and (3) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2025. 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) (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) (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 ; and (2) in paragraph (4), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking paragraph (2) paragraph (2)(A)

Summary: Joint Long-Term Storage Act of 2020 This bill addresses long-term renewable energy storage technologies and systems. Specifically, it requires the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) in the Department of Energy to establish an initiative composed of demonstration projects focused on the development of long-duration energy storage technologies. The goals of the initiative include demonstrating the potential benefits of long-duration energy storage to efficient use of the electricity grid and increasing the commercial viability of long-duration energy storage technologies. As part of the initiative, ARPA-E must establish a joint program with the Department of Defense's Environmental Security Technology Certification Program office to (1) demonstrate promising long-duration energy storage technologies at different scales; and (2) help new, innovative long-duration energy storage technologies become commercially viable. In addition, the bill authorizes through FY2024 the Duration Addition to electricitY Storage program to develop energy storage systems that provide power to the electric grid for durations of 10 to approximately 100 hours.