Title: Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2019
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Wind Energy Research and Development Act of 2019
This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a grant program to research, develop, and evaluate wind energy technologies and systems.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2660 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2660

To establish a grant program for wind energy research, development, and 
                 demonstration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 22, 2019

Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a grant program for wind energy research, development, and 
                 demonstration, 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 ``Wind Energy Research and Development 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
                    (A) an institution of higher education;
                    (B) a National Laboratory;
                    (C) a Federal research agency;
                    (D) a State research agency;
                    (E) a nonprofit research organization;
                    (F) an industrial entity; and
                    (G) a consortium of two or more entities described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001).
            (3) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy 
        Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
            (4) Program.--The term ``program'' means the program 
        established under section 3(a).
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.
            (6) Supersized turbine.--The term ``supersized turbine'' 
        means a 12-megawatt or greater wind turbine that typically has 
        a tower height greater than 140 meters and blades greater than 
        75 meters.

SEC. 3. WIND ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TESTING 
              GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a program 
        under which the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive, 
        merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities to conduct research, 
        development, testing, and evaluation of wind energy 
        technologies in accordance with this section.
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are the 
        following:
                    (A) To improve the energy efficiency, reliability, 
                resilience, security, and capacity of wind energy 
                generation.
                    (B) To optimize the design and control of wind 
                energy systems for the broadest practical range of 
                atmospheric conditions.
                    (C) To reduce the cost and risk of permitting, 
                construction, operation, and maintenance of wind energy 
                systems, including using technologies to reduce 
                environmental and community impacts, improve grid 
                integration, and reduce regulatory barriers.
                    (D) To improve materials, engineering, and 
                manufacturing processes for turbines, including 
                supersized turbines.
                    (E) To optimize wind plant performance and 
                integration within hybrid energy systems to enhance 
                cost efficiency and electric grid stability and 
                resilience.
            (3) Coordination.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
        Secretary shall coordinate activities under the program with 
        other relevant programs and capabilities of the Department of 
        Energy and other Federal research programs.
    (b) Grant Subject Areas.--In addition to awarding the grants 
described in subsections (c) through (e), the Secretary shall award 
grants under the program to eligible entities to carry out research, 
development, testing, and evaluation in the following subject areas:
            (1) Wind power plant performance and operations, 
        including--
                    (A) wind flows and turbine-to-turbine interactions;
                    (B) energy conversion potential;
                    (C) turbine and wind plant control paradigms;
                    (D) turbine and wind plant security;
                    (E) turbine components; and
                    (F) integrated hybrid plant systems.
            (2) New materials and designs relating to blades, rotors, 
        towers, and drivetrains, including--
                    (A) higher tip speed rotor designs;
                    (B) low-noise rotor designs;
                    (C) advanced drivetrain and generator concepts;
                    (D) modular construction and onsite or near-site 
                manufacturing and assembly techniques, including the 
                use of additive manufacturing;
                    (E) sustainable and recyclable materials, including 
                thermoplastics, and manufacturing systems;
                    (F) supersized turbine design and installation 
                approaches; and
                    (G) lightweight materials.
            (3) Offshore wind-specific projects, including--
                    (A) fixed and floating substructure concepts;
                    (B) projects to assess and mitigate the impacts of 
                hurricane wind flow, freshwater ice, and other 
                conditions specific to the United States;
                    (C) innovative operations and maintenance 
                strategies;
                    (D) analysis of offshore meteorological, 
                geological, and oceanographic data collection;
                    (E) offshore infrastructure monitoring; and
                    (F) analysis of corrosion and fatigue for the 
                purpose of extending the design life of offshore wind 
                turbine substructures.
            (4) Recycling and reuse of wind energy components.
            (5) Wind power forecasting and atmospheric measurement 
        systems, including for turbines and plant systems of varying 
        height.
            (6) Distributed wind-specific projects, including--
                    (A) cost-effective turbine designs, components, and 
                manufacturing; and
                    (B) microgrid applications.
            (7) Advanced transportation mechanisms for wind turbine 
        components.
            (8) Transformational technologies for harnessing wind 
        energy, including airborne wind energy concepts.
            (9) Methods to extend the operational lifetime of onshore 
        and offshore wind turbines and systems.
            (10) Other research areas, as determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Wind Energy Technology Validation and Market Transformation 
Grants.--
            (1) Demonstration projects.--In carrying out the program, 
        the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to carry 
        out demonstration projects that demonstrate and validate new 
        wind energy technologies that have the potential to be cost-
        competitive for land-based, offshore, and distributed 
        applications.
            (2) Facility for hybrid energy system research grants.--In 
        carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award grants to 
        eligible entities to establish a facility or support an 
        existing facility in conducting research and demonstration 
        projects for wind turbines and plants in hybrid energy systems 
        that incorporate diverse generation sources, loads, and storage 
        technologies.
            (3) Offshore research facility grants.--
                    (A) In general.--In carrying out the program, the 
                Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to 
                establish a facility to conduct research, development, 
                and demonstration projects, in coordination with the 
                oceanic and atmospheric science communities, for ocean 
                and atmospheric resource characterization relevant to 
                offshore wind energy development.
                    (B) Facility requirements.--A facility established 
                using a grant under subparagraph (A) shall be an 
                offshore facility used to evaluate, test, and advance 
                atmospheric, oceanic, biologic, and geologic monitoring 
                technologies that improve offshore wind energy 
                development, including the generation of benchmark data 
                sets for testing offshore wind energy technologies and 
                informing how those technologies may be financed, 
                insured, and regulated.
            (4) Offshore support structure testing facility grants.--In 
        carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award grants to 
        eligible entities to establish a facility to conduct research, 
        development, and demonstration projects for large-scale and 
        full-scale offshore wind energy support structure components 
        and systems, with an emphasis on innovative structures, 
        including floating substructures.
            (5) Applications.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under 
        this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
        such time, in such manner, and containing such information as 
        the Secretary may require, including, in the case of an 
        application for a grant under paragraph (1), a certification 
        that the proposed demonstration project shall be--
                    (A) conducted in collaboration with industry and, 
                as appropriate, with institutions of higher education 
                and other Federal research programs; and
                    (B) of sufficient size and geographic diversity to 
                measure wind energy system performance under the full 
                productive range of wind conditions in the United 
                States.
    (d) Wind Energy Incubator Grants.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to support innovative 
technologies that are not significantly represented in--
            (1) the portfolio of wind energy research activities 
        carried out by the Secretary as of the date of enactment of 
        this Act; or
            (2) technology roadmaps used by the Department of Energy as 
        of that date.
    (e) Mitigating Regulatory and Market Barrier Grants.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary 
        shall award grants to eligible entities to research, develop, 
        test, and evaluate ways to reduce regulatory and market 
        barriers to the widespread adoption of wind power, including--
                    (A) grid transmission and integration challenges; 
                and
                    (B) permitting issues associated with the potential 
                impacts of wind power systems on wildlife, radar 
                systems, local communities, military operations, and 
                airspace.
            (2) Wildlife impact mitigation.--Of the grants awarded 
        under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that a 
        substantial portion include the development, testing, and 
        evaluation of wildlife impact mitigation technologies or 
        strategies to reduce the potential impacts of wind energy 
        facilities on--
                    (A) bald and golden eagles;
                    (B) bat species;
                    (C) marine wildlife; and
                    (D) other impacted species.
    (f) Education and Outreach.--In carrying out the program, the 
Secretary shall support education and outreach activities to 
disseminate information and promote public understanding of wind 
technologies and the wind energy workforce, including the Collegiate 
Wind Competition.
    (g) Wages.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all 
laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on 
projects funded by grants under this section shall be paid wages at 
rates not less than those prevailing on projects of a similar character 
in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor, in accordance 
with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program--
            (1) $103,692,000 for fiscal year 2020;
            (2) $108,876,600 for fiscal year 2021;
            (3) $114,320,430 for fiscal year 2022;
            (4) $120,036,452 for fiscal year 2023; and
            (5) $126,038,274 for fiscal year 2024.

SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

            (1) Section 4 of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency 
        Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 12003) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) by striking paragraph (1); and
                            (ii) by redesignating paragraphs (2) 
                        through (5) as paragraphs (1) through (4), 
                        respectively; and
                    (B) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding 
                paragraph (1), by striking ``the Wind Energy Research 
                Program,''.
            (2) Section 931(a)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
        U.S.C. 16231(a)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking subparagraph (B); and
                    (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through (E) 
                as subparagraphs (B) through (D), respectively.
            (3) Section 636 of the Energy Independence and Security Act 
        of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17215) is amended by striking ``section 
        931(a)(2)(E)(i)'' and all that follows through the period at 
        the end and inserting ``subparagraph (D)(i) of section 
        931(a)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
        16231(a)(2)).''.
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