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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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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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Better Energy Storage 
Technology Act’’ or the ‘‘BEST Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ENERGY STORAGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The United States Energy Storage 
Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating subsections (l) through (p) 
as subsections (p) through (t), respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (k) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(l) ENERGY STORAGE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the Better Energy Stor-
age Technology Act, the Secretary shall establish a re-
search and development program for energy storage 
systems, components, and materials across multiple 
program offices of the Department. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the pro-
gram under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) coordinate across all relevant program 
offices throughout the Department, including the 
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Office of Electricity, the Office of Energy Effi-
ciency and Renewable Energy, the Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency – Energy, the Office of 
Science, and the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy 
Security, and Emergency Response; 
‘‘(B) adopt long-term cost, performance, 
and demonstration targets for different types of 
energy storage systems and for use in a variety 
of regions, including rural areas; 
‘‘(C) incorporate considerations of sustain-
ability, sourcing, recycling, reuse, and disposal 
of materials, including critical elements, in the 
design of energy storage systems; 
‘‘(D) identify energy storage duration needs; 
‘‘(E) analyze the need for various types of 
energy storage to improve electric grid resilience 
and reliability; and 
‘‘(F) support research and development of 
advanced manufacturing technologies that have 
the potential to improve United States competi-
tiveness in energy storage manufacturing. 
‘‘(3) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—No later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the Better Energy 
Storage Technology Act, the Secretary shall de-
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velop a 5-year strategic plan identifying re-
search, development, demonstration, and com-
mercial application goals for the program in ac-
cordance with this section. The Secretary shall 
submit this plan to the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate. 
‘‘(B) CONTENTS.—The strategic plan sub-
mitted under subparagraph (A) shall— 
‘‘(i) identify programs at the Depart-
ment related to energy storage systems that 
support the research and development ac-
tivities described in paragraph (4), and the 
demonstration projects under subsection 
(m); and 
‘‘(ii) include timelines for the accom-
plishment of goals developed under the plan. 
‘‘(C) UPDATES
TO
PLAN.—Not less fre-
quently than once every 3 years, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate an updated version of the 
plan under subparagraph (A). 
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‘‘(4) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT.—In car-
rying out the program established in paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall focus on developing— 
‘‘(A) energy storage systems that can store 
energy and deliver stored energy for a minimum 
of 6 hours in duration to balance electricity 
needs over the course of a single day; 
‘‘(B) long-duration energy storage systems 
that can store energy and deliver stored energy 
for 10 to 100 hours in duration; and 
‘‘(C) energy storage systems that can store 
energy and deliver stored energy over several 
months and address seasonal scale variations in 
supply and demand. 
‘‘(5) TESTING AND VALIDATION.—The Secretary 
shall support the standardized testing and validation 
of energy storage systems under the program through 
collaboration with 1 or more National Laboratories, 
including the development of methodologies to inde-
pendently validate energy storage technologies by— 
‘‘(A) performance of energy storage systems 
on the electric grid, including— 
‘‘(i) when appropriate, testing of ap-
plication-driven charge and discharge pro-
tocols; 
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‘‘(ii) evaluation of power capacity and 
energy output; 
‘‘(iii) degradation of the energy storage 
systems from cycling and aging; 
‘‘(iv) safety; and 
‘‘(v) reliability testing under grid duty 
cycles; and 
‘‘(B) prediction of lifetime metrics. 
‘‘(6) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub-
section, the Secretary shall coordinate with— 
‘‘(A) programs and offices that aim to in-
crease domestic manufacturing and production 
of energy storage systems, such as those within 
the Department and within the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology; 
‘‘(B) other Federal agencies that are car-
rying out initiatives to increase energy reli-
ability through the development of energy storage 
systems, including the Department of Defense; 
and 
‘‘(C) other stakeholders working to advance 
the development of commercially viable energy 
storage systems. 
‘‘(7) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
provide technical assistance for commercial ap-
plication of energy storage technologies to eligible 
entities. 
‘‘(B) TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE.—Technical 
assistance provided under this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) may include assistance with— 
‘‘(I) assessment of relevant tech-
nical and geographic characteristics; 
‘‘(II) interconnection of electricity 
storage systems with the electric grid; 
and 
‘‘(III) engineering design; and 
‘‘(ii) may not include assistance relat-
ing to modification of Federal, State, or 
local regulations or policies with respect to 
energy storage systems. 
‘‘(C) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
seek applications for technical assistance 
and grants under the program— 
‘‘(I) on a competitive basis; and 
‘‘(II) on a periodic basis, but not 
less frequently than once every 12 
months. 
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‘‘(ii) PRIORITIES.—In selecting eligible 
entities for technical assistance for commer-
cial applications, the Secretary shall give 
priority to eligible entities with projects 
that have the greatest potential for— 
‘‘(I) strengthening the reliability 
and resilience of the electric grid to the 
impact of extreme weather events, 
power grid failures, and interruptions 
in supply of electricity; 
‘‘(II) reducing the cost of energy 
storage systems; or 
‘‘(III) facilitating the use of net 
zero emission energy resources. 
‘‘(8) PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘program’ means the research and development 
program established under paragraph (1).’’. 
(b) ENERGY STORAGE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.— 
The United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 
2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231), as amended, is further amended 
by inserting after subsection (l), as added by subsection (a), 
the following: 
‘‘(m) ENERGY
STORAGE
DEMONSTRATION
PRO-
GRAM.— 
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‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a competitive grant program for the dem-
onstration of energy storage systems, as identified by 
the Secretary, that use either— 
‘‘(A) a single system; or 
‘‘(B) aggregations of multiple systems. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—Entities eligible to receive a 
grant under paragraph (1) include— 
‘‘(A) a State, territory, or possession of the 
United States; 
‘‘(B) a State energy office; 
‘‘(C) a tribal organization (as defined in 
section 3765 of title 38, United States Code); 
‘‘(D) an institution of higher education (as 
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)); 
‘‘(E) an electric utility, including— 
‘‘(i) a rural electric cooperative; 
‘‘(ii) a political subdivision of a State, 
such as a municipally owned electric util-
ity, or any agency, authority, corporation, 
or instrumentality of one or more State po-
litical subdivisions; and 
‘‘(iii) an investor-owned utility; and 
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‘‘(F) a private company, such as but not 
limited to an energy storage company. 
‘‘(3) SELECTION
REQUIREMENTS.—In selecting 
eligible entities to receive a grant under this section, 
the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(A) ensure regional diversity among eligi-
ble entities that receive the grants, including 
participation by rural States and small States; 
‘‘(B) ensure that specific projects selected for 
grants— 
‘‘(i) expand on the existing technology 
demonstration programs of the Department 
of Energy; and 
‘‘(ii) are designed to achieve one or 
more of the objectives described in para-
graph (4); 
‘‘(C) give consideration to proposals from 
eligible entities for securing energy storage 
through competitive procurement or contract for 
service; and 
‘‘(D) prioritize projects that leverage match-
ing funds from non-Federal sources. 
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‘‘(4) OBJECTIVES.—Each demonstration project 
selected for a grant under paragraph (1) shall include 
one or more of the following objectives: 
‘‘(A) To improve the security of critical in-
frastructure and emergency response systems. 
‘‘(B) To improve the reliability of the trans-
mission and distribution system, particularly in 
rural areas, including high energy cost rural 
areas. 
‘‘(C) To optimize transmission or distribu-
tion system operation and power quality to defer 
or avoid costs of replacing or upgrading electric 
grid infrastructure, including transformers and 
substations. 
‘‘(D) To supply energy at peak periods of 
demand on the electric grid or during periods of 
significant variation of electric grid supply or 
demand. 
‘‘(E) To reduce peak loads of homes and 
businesses, particularly to defer or avoid invest-
ments in new electric grid capacity. 
‘‘(F) To advance power conversion systems 
to make the systems smarter, more efficient, able 
to communicate with other inverters, and able to 
control voltage. 
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‘‘(G) To provide ancillary services for grid 
stability and management. 
‘‘(H) To integrate one or more energy re-
sources, including renewable energy resources, at 
the source or away from the source. 
‘‘(I) To increase the feasibility of microgrids 
or islanding. 
‘‘(J) To enable the use of stored energy in 
forms other than electricity to support the nat-
ural gas system and other industrial processes. 
‘‘(5) RESTRICTION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Any eli-
gible entity that receives a grant under paragraph (1) 
may only use the grant to fund programs relating to 
the demonstration of energy storage systems connected 
to the electric grid, or that provides bi-directional en-
ergy storage capable of providing back-up energy in 
the event of grid outages, including energy storage 
systems sited behind a customer revenue meter. 
‘‘(6) COST SHARING.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall require cost sharing under 
this section in accordance with section 988 of the En-
ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352). 
‘‘(7) NO PROJECT OWNERSHIP INTEREST.—The 
United States shall hold no equity or other ownership 
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interest in an energy storage system for which a 
grant is provided under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(8) RULES
AND
PROCEDURES; AWARDING
OF 
GRANTS.— 
‘‘(A) RULES AND PROCEDURES.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of the 
Better Energy Storage Technology Act, the Sec-
retary shall adopt rules and procedures for car-
rying out the grant program under subsection 
(m). 
‘‘(B) AWARDING
OF
GRANTS.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date on which the rules and 
procedures under paragraph (A) are established, 
the Secretary shall award the initial grants pro-
vided under this section. 
‘‘(9) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall submit to 
Congress and make publicly available— 
‘‘(A) not less frequently than once every 2 
years for the duration of the grant program 
under subsection (m), a report describing the 
performance of the grant program, including a 
synthesis and analysis of any information the 
Secretary requires grant recipients to provide to 
the Secretary as a condition of receiving a grant; 
and 
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‘‘(B) on termination of the grant program 
under subsection (m), an assessment of the suc-
cess of, and education provided by, the measures 
carried out by grant recipients under the grant 
program. 
‘‘(10) PROGRAM DEFINED.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘program’ means the demonstration program 
established under paragraph (1).’’. 
(c) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—The 
United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 
(42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended, in subsection (t) (as redesig-
nated by subsection (a)(1))— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘;’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) the research and development program for 
energy storage systems under subsection (l)— 
‘‘(A) $62,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 
‘‘(B) $ 65,100,000 for fiscal year 2021; 
‘‘(C) $ 68,355,000 for fiscal year 2022; 
‘‘(D) $ 71,773,000 for fiscal year 2023; and 
‘‘(E) $ 75,362,000 for fiscal year 2024; and 
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‘‘(8) the demonstration program for energy stor-
age systems under subsection (m), $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.’’. 
SEC. 3. CRITICAL MINERAL RECYCLING AND REUSE RE-
SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRA-
TION PROGRAM. 
The United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act 
of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended by inserting after 
subsection (m), as added by section 2(b) of this Act, the 
following: 
‘‘(n) CRITICAL MINERAL RECYCLING AND REUSE RE-
SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, 
AND
DEMONSTRATION
PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) CRITICAL MINERAL.—The term ‘crit-
ical mineral’ means any of a class of chemical 
elements that have a high risk of a supply dis-
ruption and are critical to one or more new, en-
ergy-related technologies such that a shortage of 
such element would significantly inhibit large- 
scale deployment of technologies that store en-
ergy. 
‘‘(B) RECYCLING.—The term ‘recycling’ 
means the separation of critical minerals embed-
ded within an energy storage system through 
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