Solar Energy Research and Development Act of 2019

IB Union Calendar No. 400 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 3597 [Report No. 116–499] To guide and authorize basic research programs in the United States for research, development, and demonstration of solar energy technologies, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 28, 2019 Mr. MCADAMS (for himself and Mr. FORTENBERRY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Additional sponsors: Mr. CRIST, Ms. ESCOBAR, and Mrs. AXNE SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 Reported with amendments, 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 June 28, 2019] VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3597 RH A BILL To guide and authorize basic research programs in the United States for research, development, and demonstra- tion of solar energy technologies, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3597 RH Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Solar Energy Research 4 and Development Act of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 7 solar energy program to conduct research, development, test- 8 ing, and evaluation of solar energy technologies. In car- 9 rying out such program, the Secretary shall, in accordance 10 with subsection (b), award grants and enter into contracts 11 and cooperative agreements under this section, and sections 12 3, 4, and 5 for each of the following purposes: 13 (1) To improve the energy efficiency, reliability, 14 resilience, security, and capacity of solar energy gen- 15 eration. 16 (2) To optimize the design and adaptability of 17 solar energy systems to the broadest practical range 18 of geographic and atmospheric conditions. 19 (3) To reduce the cost of manufacturing, instal- 20 lation, operation, and maintenance of solar energy 21 systems. 22 (4) To create and improve conversion of solar en- 23 ergy to useful forms. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3597 RH (b) GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE AGREE- 1 MENTS.— 2 (1) GRANTS.—In carrying out the program es- 3 tablished under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 4 award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis 5 to eligible entities for projects that the Secretary de- 6 termines would best achieve the goals of the program. 7 (2) CONTRACTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREE- 8 MENTS.—In carrying out the program established 9 under subsection (a), the Secretary may enter into 10 contracts and cooperative agreements with eligible en- 11 tities and Federal agencies for projects that the Sec- 12 retary determines would further the purposes of the 13 program. 14 (3) APPLICATION.—An entity seeking a grant or 15 a contract or agreement under this Act shall submit 16 to the Secretary an application at such time, in such 17 manner, and containing such information as the Sec- 18 retary may require. 19 (c) SOLAR ENERGY RESEARCH SUBJECT AREAS.—The 20 program established under subsection (a) shall focus on the 21 research, development, testing, and evaluation of each of the 22 following subject areas: 23 (1) Photovoltaic devices and related electronic 24 components, including converters, sensors, energy 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3597 RH monitors, communication and control equipment, and 1 protocols. 2 (2) Concentrated solar power, including solar 3 thermal and concentrating solar photovoltaic tech- 4 nologies. 5 (3) Low cost, high-quality solar energy systems. 6 (4) Low cost, thin-film solar technologies, includ- 7 ing the use of perovskite materials in solar cells. 8 (5) Solar heating and cooling systems, including 9 distributed solar-powered air conditioning. 10 (6) Solar technology products that can be easily 11 integrated into new buildings, existing buildings, ag- 12 ricultural and aquatic environments, and other infra- 13 structure. 14 (7) Solar technology that is resilient to extreme 15 weather events. 16 (8) Solar technology products integrated into 17 transportation applications in coordination with ve- 18 hicle technologies research and development activities 19 supported by the Department of Energy. 20 (9) Storage technologies to address the transience 21 and intermittency of solar energy resources, including 22 batteries, supercapacitors, and thermal storage. 23 (10) Microgrids using solar technology. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3597 RH (11) Solar technologies enabling safe grid oper- 1 ating conditions, such as fast-disconnect during an 2 emergency. 3 (12) Distributed solar energy technologies, such 4 as rooftop solar panels. 5 (13) Technologies and designs that enable a 6 broad range of scales for solar power production. 7 (14) Advanced solar manufacturing technologies 8 and best practices, including— 9 (A) materials and processes; 10 (B) development of industry standards; 11 (C) design and integration practices; and 12 (D) optimized packaging methods and new 13 device designs. 14 (15) Advanced analytic and computing capabili- 15 ties for better modeling and simulations of solar en- 16 ergy systems. 17 (16) Electrical grid integration, including— 18 (A) integration of solar technologies into 19 smart grid, transmission, and distribution; 20 (B) coordination of solar with other distrib- 21 uted and large-scale energy resources; 22 (C) electrical power smoothing; 23 (D) microgrid integration; 24 (E) community solar; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3597 RH (F) solar resource forecasting; 1 (G) regional and national electric system 2 balancing and long distance transmission op- 3 tions, including direct current and super- 4 conducting transmission and long-term storage 5 options; 6 (H) ways to address system operations over 7 minutes, hours, days, weeks, and seasons with re- 8 spect to the full range of project scales; and 9 (I) electric grid security, including cyber 10 and physical security. 11 (17) Non-hardware and information-based ad- 12 vances in solar energy system design, installation, 13 and operation. 14 (18) Solar energy technology as a part of strate- 15 gies commonly referred to as ‘‘behind-the-meter strate- 16 gies’’, including with respect to electricity generation, 17 load, energy efficiency, controls, storage, and electric 18 vehicles. 19 (19) Methods to reduce the total volume of water 20 used in the manufacture, construction, operation, and 21 maintenance of solar energy technologies. 22 (20) Next generation demonstration facilities. 23 (21) Other subject areas determined by the Sec- 24 retary. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3597 RH (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WORKFORCE DEVEL- 1 OPMENT.—In carrying out the program established under 2 subsection (a), the Secretary may also conduct, for purposes 3 of supporting technical, non-hardware, and information- 4 based advances in solar energy systems development and op- 5 erations, including activities expanding access to solar en- 6 ergy for low-income individuals and communities— 7 (1) technical assistance and analysis activities 8 with eligible entities; and 9 (2) workforce development and training activi- 10 ties, including activities that support the dissemina- 11 tion of standards and best practices for enabling solar 12 power production. 13 (e) PROGRAM TARGETS.—The program established 14 under subsection (a) shall address near-term (up to 2 15 years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up to 15 16 years) challenges to the advancement of solar energy sys- 17 tems. 18 (f) SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.—Each entity receiving 19 a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this sec- 20 tion shall endeavor, in carrying out activities under such 21 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, to incorporate, 22 where appropriate, sustainable and green chemistry and en- 23 gineering principles, practices, and methodologies. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3597 RH (g) WILDLIFE IMPACT MITIGATION.—In carrying out 1 the activities described in subsection (c), the program estab- 2 lished under subsection (a) shall support wildlife impact 3 mitigation technologies and strategies, including the use of 4 distributed solar technologies, to reduce the potential nega- 5 tive impacts of solar energy systems on wildlife, including 6 bird species and local flora and fauna. 7 (h) STEWARDSHIP OF NATIONAL LABORATORY RE- 8 SOURCES.—In awarding grants and entering into contracts 9 and cooperative agreements under this Act, the Secretary 10 shall steward relevant capabilities and programs of the Na- 11 tional Laboratories. 12 (i) CONFORMING REPEALS.—The following provisions 13 of law are hereby repealed: 14 (1) The Solar Energy Research, Development, 15 and Demonstration Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5551 et 16 seq.), except for section 10. 17 (2) The Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, De- 18 velopment, and Demonstration Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. 19 5581 et seq.). 20 (3) Paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 4(a) of the 21 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Technology 22 Competitiveness Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 12003(a)). 23 (4) Subparagraph (A) of section 931(a)(2) of the 24 Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16231(a)(2)). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3597 RH (5) Sections 606 and 607 of the Energy Inde- 1 pendence and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17174 2 and 17175). 3 (j) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 4 (1) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means any of the 5 following entities: 6 (A) An institution of higher education. 7 (B) A National Laboratory. 8 (C) A Federal research agency. 9 (D) A State research agency. 10 (E) A nonprofit research organization. 11 (F) An industrial entity or a multi-institu- 12 tional consortium thereof. 13 (2) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 14 has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the 15 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 16 (3) The term ‘‘National Laboratory’’ has the 17 meaning given such term in section 2(3) of the En- 18 ergy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801(3)). 19 (4) The term ‘‘photovoltaic device’’ includes pho- 20 tovoltaic cells and the electronic and electrical compo- 21 nents of such devices. 22 (5) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of 23 Energy. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3597 RH SEC. 3. SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION 1 PROJECTS. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program estab- 3 lished under section 2(a), the Secretary shall award grants 4 on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities 5 for demonstration projects to advance the development of 6 solar energy technologies and systems production. 7 (b) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under subsection 8 (a), the Secretary shall give priority to projects that— 9 (1) are located in geographically diverse regions 10 of the United States; 11 (2) can be replicated in a variety of regions and 12 climates; 13 (3) demonstrate technologies that address 14 intermittency, variability, storage challenges, behind- 15 the-meter operations, and independent operational ca- 16 pability; 17 (4) coordinate solar technologies with other dis- 18 tributed and large-scale energy resources; 19 (5) facilitate identification of optimum ap- 20 proaches among competing solar energy technologies; 21 (6) include business commercialization plans 22 that have the potential for production of solar energy 23 equipment at high volumes; 24 (7) support the development of advanced manu- 25 facturing technologies that have the potential to im- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3597 RH prove United States competitiveness in the inter- 1 national solar energy manufacturing sector; 2 (8) provide the greatest potential to reduce en- 3 ergy costs, as well as promote accessibility and com- 4 munity implementation of demonstrated technologies, 5 for consumers; 6 (9) increase disclosure and transparency of in- 7 formation to all market participants to help in mak- 8 ing optimal decisions; 9 (10) promote overall electric infrastructure reli- 10 ability and resilience should grid functions be dis- 11 rupted or damaged; 12 (11) promote solar energy in low-income commu- 13 nities and those disproportionately burdened by envi- 14 ronmental pollution; and 15 (12) satisfy any other criteria that the Secretary 16 determines appropriate. 17 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants under this section may 18 be used, to the extent that funding is not otherwise available 19 through other Federal programs or power purchase agree- 20 ments, for— 21 (1) any necessary site engineering study; 22 (2) an economic assessment of site-specific condi- 23 tions; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 Sep 11, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H3597.RH H3597 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 3597 RH (3) appropriate feasibility studies to determine 1 whether the demonstration can be replicated; 2 (4) installation of equipment, service, and sup- 3 port; 4 (5) operation for at least the minimum amount 5 of time required to fully assess the project’s results 6 and objectives, as determined by a peer-reviewed proc- 7 ess; and 8 (6) validation of technical, economic, and envi- 9 ronmental assumptions and documentation of lessons 10 learned. 11 (d) SOLICITA [Text truncated for display. 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