§ 17231. Energy storage competitiveness

(A)

a vehicle that uses an electric motor for all or part of the motive power of the vehicle, including battery electric, hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric, fuel cell, and plug-in fuel cell vehicles and rail transportation vehicles; or

(B)

mobile equipment that uses an electric motor to replace an internal combustion engine for all or part of the work of the equipment.

(A)

assess, every 2 years, the performance of the Department in meeting the goals of the plans developed under paragraph (4); and

(B)

make specific recommendations to the Secretary on programs or activities that should be established or terminated to meet those goals.

(A)

materials design;

(B)

materials synthesis and characterization;

(C)

electrode-active materials, including electrolytes and bioelectrolytes;

(D)

surface and interface dynamics;

(E)

modeling and simulation; and

(F)

thermal behavior and life degradation mechanisms.

(A)

ultracapacitors;

(B)

flywheels;

(C)

batteries and battery systems (including flow batteries);

(D)

compressed air energy systems;

(E)

power conditioning electronics;

(F)

manufacturing technologies for energy storage systems;

(G)

thermal management systems; and

(H)

hydrogen as an energy storage medium.

(A)

if an industrial participant is active in a 1

energy storage research center established under this subsection relating to the advancement of energy storage technologies carried out, in whole or in part, with Federal funding, the industrial participant be granted the first option to negotiate with the invention owner, at least in the field of energy storage technologies, nonexclusive licenses, and royalties on terms that are reasonable, as determined by the Secretary;

(B)

if 1 or more industry participants are active in a center, during a 2-year period beginning on the date on which an invention is made—

(C)

the new invention be developed under such other terms as the Secretary determines to be necessary to promote the accelerated commercialization of inventions made under this subsection to advance the capability of the United States to successfully compete in global energy storage markets.

(A)

be regionally diversified; and

(B)

expand on the existing technology demonstration program of the Department.

(A)

rural electric cooperatives;

(B)

investor owned utilities;

(C)

municipally owned electric utilities;

(D)

energy storage systems manufacturers;

(E)

electric drive vehicle manufacturers;

(F)

the renewable energy production industry;

(G)

State or local energy offices;

(H)

the fuel cell industry; and

(I)

institutions of higher education.

(A)

Energy storage to improve the feasibility of microgrids or islanding, or transmission and distribution capability, to improve reliability in rural areas.

(B)

Integration of an energy storage system with a self-healing grid.

(C)

Use of energy storage to improve security to emergency response infrastructure and ensure availability of emergency backup power for consumers.

(D)

Integration with a renewable energy production source, at the source or away from the source.

(E)

Use of energy storage to provide ancillary services, such as spinning reserve services, for grid management.

(F)

Advancement of power conversion systems to make the systems smarter, more efficient, able to communicate with other inverters, and able to control voltage.

(G)

Use of energy storage to optimize transmission and distribution operation and power quality, which could address overloaded lines and maintenance of transformers and substations.

(H)

Use of advanced energy storage for peak load management of homes, businesses, and the grid.

(I)

Use of energy storage devices to store energy during nonpeak generation periods to make better use of existing grid assets.

(A)

energy storage systems manufacturers and suppliers of the manufacturers;

(B)

electric drive vehicle manufacturers;

(C)

rural electric cooperatives;

(D)

investor owned utilities;

(E)

municipal and rural electric utilities;

(F)

State and local governments;

(G)

metropolitan transportation authorities; and

(H)

institutions of higher education.

(A)

Novel, high capacity, high efficiency energy storage, charging, and control systems, along with the collection of data on performance characteristics, such as battery life, energy storage capacity, and power delivery capacity.

(B)

Advanced onboard energy management systems and highly efficient battery cooling systems.

(C)

Integration of those systems on a prototype vehicular platform, including with drivetrain systems for passenger, commercial, and nonroad electric drive vehicles.

(D)

New technologies and processes that reduce manufacturing costs.

(E)

Integration of advanced vehicle technologies with electricity distribution system and smart metering technology.

(F)

Control systems that minimize emissions profiles in cases in which clean diesel engines are part of a plug-in hybrid drive system.