“To amend the Energy Act of 2020 to modify certain programs and projects with respect to energy storage technology, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section clarifies the definition of an energy storage system under section 3201(a)(1) of the Energy Act of 2020 to include any components or modules that comprise such a system. This section expands the objectives of the Energy Storage System Research, Development, and Deployment Program to address modules and the deployment of residential and utility energy storage systems, adds new objectives for models and tools to abate failure modes including thermal runaway and fire risks as well as early detection and preventative maintenance techniques, modifies benchmarking and testing requirements to include standardized grid performance testing, reliability and safety stress testing to failure, accelerated life testing, and automated fire suppression systems, and directs coordination with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the United States Fire Administration. This section also modifies periodic evaluations to advance testing and evaluation that improves safety and lifetime in addition to reducing costs, updates the strategic plan to address innovative and emerging grid-scale storage technologies and commercial barriers, and adds the United States Fire Administration and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to the entities whose resources may be leveraged. This section increases the number of energy storage demonstration projects from 3 to 5 and extends the deadline for such projects from September 30, 2023, to September 30, 2030, while requiring at least one project focused on safety through stress testing to failure for technologies addressing component or module failure and at least one for technologies addressing thermal runaway and fire risks. This section expands selection requirements for the energy storage pilot grant program.