Title: BEST Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Better Energy Storage Technology Act or the BEST Act
This bill addresses grid-scale energy storage systems.
The bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish within its Office of Electricity a research, development, and demonstration program for grid-scale energy storage systems.
DOE must enter into agreements to carry out not more than five demonstration projects and develop a 10-year strategic plan and cost targets for grid-scale energy storage systems.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2986 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2986

 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 
      referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 systems, 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 ``Better Energy Storage Technology 
Act'' or the ``BEST Act''.

SEC. 2. GRID-SCALE ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND 
              DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The United States Energy Storage Competitiveness 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (l) through (p) as 
        subsections (m) through (q), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (k) the following:
    ``(l) Grid-Scale Energy Storage System Research, Development, and 
Demonstration Program.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Energy storage system.--The term `energy 
                storage system' means a system, equipment, facility, or 
                technology that--
                            ``(i) is capable of absorbing energy, 
                        storing that energy for a period of time, and 
                        dispatching the stored energy; and
                            ``(ii)(I) uses a mechanical, electrical, 
                        chemical, electrochemical, or thermal process 
                        to store energy that--
                                    ``(aa) was generated at an earlier 
                                time for use at a later time; or
                                    ``(bb) was generated from a 
                                mechanical process, and would otherwise 
                                be wasted, for delivery at a later 
                                time; or
                            ``(II) stores thermal energy for direct use 
                        for heating or cooling at a later time in a 
                        manner that avoids the need to use electricity 
                        at that later time, in the same manner as the 
                        storage and use offered by a grid-enabled water 
                        heater.
                    ``(B) Program.--The term `program' means the 
                research, development, and demonstration program 
                established under paragraph (2)(A).
            ``(2) Establishment.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of enactment of the BEST Act, the Secretary 
                shall establish within the Office of Electricity of the 
                Department of Energy a research, development, and 
                demonstration program of grid-scale energy storage 
                systems, in accordance with this subsection.
                    ``(B) Goals, priorities, cost targets.--The 
                Secretary shall develop goals, priorities, and cost 
                targets for the program.
            ``(3) Strategic plan.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after 
                the date of enactment of the BEST Act, the Secretary 
                shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
                Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 
                Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a 
                10-year strategic plan for the program.
                    ``(B) Contents.--The strategic plan submitted under 
                subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) identify Department of Energy 
                        programs that--
                                    ``(I) support the research and 
                                development activities described in 
                                paragraph (4) and the demonstration 
                                projects under paragraph (6); and
                                    ``(II)(aa) do not support the 
                                activities or projects described in 
                                subclause (I); but
                                    ``(bb) are important to the 
                                development of grid-scale energy 
                                storage systems and the mission of the 
                                Office of Electricity of the Department 
                                of Energy, as determined by the 
                                Secretary; and
                            ``(ii) include expected timelines for--
                                    ``(I) the accomplishment of 
                                relevant objectives under current 
                                programs of the Department of Energy 
                                relating to grid-scale energy storage 
                                systems; and
                                    ``(II) the commencement of any new 
                                initiatives within the Department of 
                                Energy relating to grid-scale energy 
                                storage systems to accomplish those 
                                objectives.
                    ``(C) Updates to plan.--Not less frequently than 
                once every 2 years, the Secretary shall submit to the 
                Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
                and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
                the House of Representatives an updated 10-year 
                strategic plan, which shall identify, and provide a 
                justification for, any major deviation from a previous 
                strategic plan submitted under this paragraph.
            ``(4) Research and development.--In carrying out the 
        program, the Secretary shall focus research and development 
        activities on developing cost-effective energy storage systems 
        that--
                    ``(A)(i) to balance day-scale needs, are capable of 
                highly flexible power output for not less than 6 hours; 
                and
                    ``(ii) have a lifetime of--
                            ``(I) not less than 8,000 cycles of 
                        discharge at full output; and
                            ``(II) 20 years of operation;
                    ``(B)(i) can provide power to the electric grid for 
                durations of approximately 10 to 100 hours; and
                    ``(ii) have a lifetime of--
                            ``(I) not less than 1,500 cycles of 
                        discharge at full output; and
                            ``(II) 20 years of operation; and
                    ``(C) can store energy over several months and 
                address seasonal scale variations in supply and demand.
            ``(5) Cost targets.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Cost targets developed by the 
                Secretary under paragraph (2)(B) shall--
                            ``(i) be for energy storage costs across 
                        all types of energy storage technology; and
                            ``(ii) include technology costs, 
                        installation costs, balance of services costs, 
                        and soft costs.
                    ``(B) Target updates; subtargets.--Not less 
                frequently than once every 5 years during the 10-year 
                period beginning on the date of enactment of the BEST 
                Act, the Secretary shall--
                            ``(i) revise the cost targets developed 
                        under paragraph (2)(B) to be more stringent, 
                        based on--
                                    ``(I) a technology-neutral approach 
                                that considers all types of energy 
                                storage deployment scenarios, including 
                                individual technologies, technology 
                                combination use profiles, and 
                                integrated control system applications;
                                    ``(II) input from a variety of 
                                stakeholders, including the 
                                stakeholders described in subsection 
                                (i)(3);
                                    ``(III) the inclusion and use of 
                                existing infrastructure; and
                                    ``(IV) the ability to optimize the 
                                integration of intermittent renewable 
                                energy generation technology and 
                                distributed energy resources; and
                            ``(ii) establish cost subtargets for 
                        technologies and applications relating to the 
                        energy storage systems described in paragraph 
                        (4), taking into consideration--
                                    ``(I) electricity market prices; 
                                and
                                    ``(II) the goal of being cost-
                                competitive in specific markets for 
                                electric grid products and services.
            ``(6) Demonstration projects.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than September 30, 
                2023, under the program, the Secretary shall, to the 
                maximum extent practicable, enter into agreements to 
                carry out not more than 5 grid-scale energy storage 
                system demonstration projects.
                    ``(B) Objectives.--Each demonstration project 
                carried out under subparagraph (A) shall be designed to 
                further the development of the energy storage systems 
                described in paragraph (4).
                    ``(C) No ownership interest.--The Federal 
                Government shall not hold any equity or other ownership 
                interest in any grid-scale energy storage system that 
                is part of a demonstration project under this 
                paragraph.
            ``(7) Testing and validation.--The Secretary shall 
        accelerate the standardized testing and validation of grid-
        scale energy storage systems under the program through 
        collaboration with 1 or more National Laboratories (as defined 
        in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
        15801)), including by developing testing and evaluation 
        methodologies for--
                    ``(A) standardized grid performance testing for 
                energy storage systems, materials, and technologies 
                during each stage of development, beginning with the 
                research stage and ending with the deployment stage, 
                including performance testing with charge and discharge 
                protocols to evaluate power capability, energy output, 
                and degradation during cycling and calendar aging on 
                earliest stage commercially viable prototypes (commonly 
                less than 100 kilowatts); and
                    ``(B) accelerated life testing protocols to predict 
                estimated lifetime metrics with accuracy.
            ``(8) Coordination.--To accelerate the development of grid-
        scale energy storage systems under the program, and pursuant to 
        subsection (n), the Secretary shall coordinate with--
                    ``(A) offices within the Department of Energy 
                conducting energy storage research, such as the 
                Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, the Office of 
                Science, and the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
                Renewable Energy;
                    ``(B) Federal agencies that are carrying out 
                initiatives to increase energy security or reliability, 
                such as the Department of Defense, the National Science 
                Foundation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
                and the Department of Homeland Security;
                    ``(C) program offices that aim to increase domestic 
                manufacturing and production, such as the Office of 
                Advanced Manufacturing in the Department of Energy and 
                the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 
                the Department of Commerce; and
                    ``(D) members of private industry to advance the 
                development of commercially viable grid-scale energy 
                storage systems.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--The United States Energy 
Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended, in 
subsection (q) (as redesignated 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''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) the research, development, and demonstration program 
        of grid-scale energy storage systems under subsection (l) 
        $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.''.
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