Solar Energy Research and Development Act of 2019

II Calendar No. 358 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2668 To establish a program for research, development, and demonstration of solar energy technologies, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES OCTOBER 22, 2019 Ms. SINEMA (for herself and Ms. MCSALLY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Nat- ural Resources DECEMBER 17, 2019 Reported by Ms. MURKOWSKI, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To establish a program for research, development, and dem- onstration of solar energy technologies, and for other purposes. 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2668 RS SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREA.—The 3 term ‘‘economically distressed area’’ means an area 4 described in section 301(a) of the Public Works and 5 Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 6 3161(a)). 7 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 8 ty’’ means— 9 (A) an institution of higher education; 10 (B) a National Laboratory; 11 (C) a Federal research agency; 12 (D) a State research agency; 13 (E) a nonprofit research organization; 14 (F) an industrial entity; and 15 (G) a consortium of 2 or more entities de- 16 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (F). 17 (3) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 18 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 19 Native American Housing Assistance and Self-De- 20 termination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 21 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 22 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 23 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 24 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2668 RS (5) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Na- 1 tional Laboratory’’ has the meaning given the term 2 in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 3 U.S.C. 15801). 4 (6) PHOTOVOLTAIC DEVICE.—The term ‘‘photo- 5 voltaic device’’ means— 6 (A) a device that converts light directly 7 into electricity through a solid-state, semicon- 8 ductor process; 9 (B) the photovoltaic cells of a device de- 10 scribed in subparagraph (A); and 11 (C) the electronic and electrical compo- 12 nents of a device described in subparagraph 13 (A). 14 (7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 15 the program established under section 3(a)(1). 16 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 17 the Secretary of Energy. 18 SEC. 3. SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM. 19 (a) PROGRAM.— 20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 21 a solar energy technology program under which the 22 Secretary shall— 23 (A) award grants on a competitive, merit- 24 reviewed basis to eligible entities to conduct re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2668 RS search, development, testing, and evaluation of 1 solar energy technologies; and 2 (B) carry out other activities in accordance 3 with this section. 4 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program 5 are the following: 6 (A) To improve the energy efficiency, reli- 7 ability, resilience, security, and capacity of solar 8 energy generation. 9 (B) To optimize the design and adapt- 10 ability of solar energy systems to the broadest 11 practical range of geographic and atmospheric 12 conditions. 13 (C) To reduce the cost of manufacturing, 14 installation, operation, and maintenance of 15 solar energy systems. 16 (D) To create and improve conversion of 17 solar energy to useful forms. 18 (3) TARGETS.—In carrying out the program, 19 the Secretary shall address near-term (up to 2 20 years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up 21 to 15 years) challenges to the advancement of solar 22 energy systems. 23 (4) STEWARDSHIP OF NATIONAL LABORATORY 24 RESOURCES.—In awarding grants under the pro- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2668 RS gram, the Secretary shall steward relevant capabili- 1 ties and programs of the National Laboratories. 2 (5) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND WORKFORCE 3 DEVELOPMENT.—In carrying out the program, for 4 purposes of supporting technical, nonhardware, and 5 information-based advances in solar energy systems 6 development and operations, the Secretary may— 7 (A) provide technical assistance and carry 8 out analysis activities with eligible entities, in- 9 cluding activities that support expanding access 10 to solar energy for low-income individuals and 11 communities, including in economically dis- 12 tressed areas; and 13 (B) carry out workforce development and 14 training activities, including to support the dis- 15 semination of standards and best practices for 16 enabling solar power production. 17 (6) WILDLIFE IMPACT MITIGATION.—In car- 18 rying out the program, the Secretary shall, to the 19 maximum extent practicable, support wildlife impact 20 mitigation technologies and strategies, including the 21 use of distributed solar technologies, to reduce the 22 potential negative impacts of solar energy systems 23 on fish or wildlife, or plants (as those terms are de- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2668 RS fined in section 3 of the Endangered Species Act of 1 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1532)). 2 (7) SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.—Each entity re- 3 ceiving a grant under the program shall endeavor, in 4 carrying out activities under the grant, to incor- 5 porate, where appropriate, sustainable and green 6 chemistry and engineering principles, practices, and 7 methodologies. 8 (b) GRANT SUBJECT AREAS.—In addition to award- 9 ing the grants described in subsections (c) through (e), 10 the Secretary shall award grants under the program to 11 eligible entities to carry out research, development, test- 12 ing, and evaluation in the following subject areas: 13 (1) Photovoltaic devices and related electronic 14 components, including converters, sensors, energy 15 monitors, communication and control equipment, 16 and protocols. 17 (2) Concentrated solar power, including solar 18 thermal and concentrating solar photovoltaic tech- 19 nologies. 20 (3) Low cost, high-quality solar energy systems. 21 (4) Solar heating and cooling systems, including 22 distributed solar-powered air conditioning. 23 (5) Low cost, thin-film solar technologies, in- 24 cluding the use of perovskite materials in solar cells. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2668 RS (6) Solar technology products that can be easily 1 integrated into new buildings, existing buildings, ag- 2 ricultural and aquatic environments, and other infra- 3 structure. 4 (7) Solar technology that is resilient to extreme 5 weather events. 6 (8) Solar technology products integrated into 7 transportation applications in coordination with vehi- 8 cle technologies research and development activities 9 supported by the Department of Energy. 10 (9) Storage technologies that address the tran- 11 sience and intermittency of solar energy resources, 12 including batteries, supercapacitors, and thermal 13 storage. 14 (10) Microgrids using solar technology. 15 (11) Solar technologies enabling safe grid oper- 16 ating conditions, such as fast-disconnect during an 17 emergency. 18 (12) Distributed solar energy technologies, such 19 as rooftop solar panels. 20 (13) Technologies and designs that enable a 21 broad range of scales for solar power production. 22 (14) Advanced solar manufacturing technologies 23 and best practices, including— 24 (A) materials and processes; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2668 RS (B) development of industry standards; 1 (C) design and integration practices; and 2 (D) optimized packaging methods and new 3 device designs. 4 (15) Advanced analytic and computing capabili- 5 ties for better modeling and simulations of solar en- 6 ergy systems. 7 (16) Electrical grid integration, including— 8 (A) integration of solar technologies into 9 smart grid, transmission, and distribution; 10 (B) coordination of solar with other dis- 11 tributed and large-scale energy resources; 12 (C) electrical power smoothing; 13 (D) microgrid integration; 14 (E) community solar; 15 (F) solar resource forecasting; 16 (G) regional and national electric system 17 balancing and long-distance transmission op- 18 tions, including direct current and super- 19 conducting transmission and long-term storage 20 options; 21 (H) ways to address system operations 22 over minutes, hours, days, weeks, and seasons 23 with respect to the full range of project scales; 24 and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2668 RS (I) electric grid security, including cyber 1 and physical security. 2 (17) Nonhardware and information-based ad- 3 vances in solar energy system design, installation, 4 and operation. 5 (18) Solar energy technology relating to behind- 6 the-meter strategies, including with respect to elec- 7 tricity generation, load, energy efficiency, controls, 8 storage, and electric vehicles. 9 (19) Next generation demonstration facilities. 10 (20) Any other subject area determined by the 11 Secretary. 12 (c) SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION 13 GRANTS.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program, 15 the Secretary shall award multiyear grants to eligi- 16 ble entities to carry out demonstration projects to 17 advance the development of solar energy technologies 18 and systems production. 19 (2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under para- 20 graph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to 21 projects that— 22 (A) are located in geographically diverse 23 regions of the United States; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2668 RS (B) can be replicated in a variety of re- 1 gions and climates; 2 (C) demonstrate technologies that address 3 intermittency, variability, storage challenges, 4 behind-the-meter operations, and independent 5 operational capability; 6 (D) coordinate solar technologies with 7 other distributed and large-scale energy re- 8 sources; 9 (E) facilitate identification of optimum ap- 10 proaches among competing solar energy tech- 11 nologies; 12 (F) include business commercialization 13 plans that have the potential for production of 14 solar energy equipment at high volumes; 15 (G) support the development of advanced 16 manufacturing technologies that have the po- 17 tential to improve United States competitive- 18 ness in the international solar energy manufac- 19 turing sector; 20 (H) provide the greatest potential to re- 21 duce energy costs for consumers and promote 22 accessibility and community implementation of 23 demonstrated technologies; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2668 RS (I) increase disclosure and transparency of 1 information to all market participants; 2 (J) promote overall electric infrastructure 3 reliability and resilience in the event of grid 4 functions being disrupted or damaged; 5 (K) support the development or dem- 6 onstration of projects in collaboration with In- 7 dian tribes and in economically distressed areas; 8 and 9 (L) satisfy any other priority that the Sec- 10 retary determines appropriate. 11 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—To the extent that fund- 12 ing is not otherwise available through other Federal 13 programs or power purchase agreements, grants 14 awarded under paragraph (1) may be used for— 15 (A) any necessary site engineering study; 16 (B) an economic assessment of site-specific 17 conditions; 18 (C) appropriate feasibility studies to deter- 19 mine whether the demonstration project may be 20 replicated; 21 (D) installation of equipment, service, and 22 support; 23 (E) operating the demonstration project 24 for not less than the minimum period required 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2668 RS to fully assess the results and objectives of the 1 project, as determined by a peer-reviewed proc- 2 ess; and 3 (F) validation of technical, economic, and 4 environmental assumptions and documentation 5 of lessons learned. 6 (4) SOLICITATION.—Not later than 90 days 7 after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually 8 thereafter, the Secretary shall conduct a national so- 9 licitation for applications for grants described in 10 paragraph (1). 11 (5) ORGANIC PHOTOVOLTAIC CELL TECH- 12 NOLOGIES.—At least 1 grant awarded under para- 13 graph (1) during fiscal year 2020 shall be for a 14 project to demonstrate organic photovoltaic cell tech- 15 nologies. 16 (d) NEXT GENERATION SOLAR ENERGY MANUFAC- 17 TURING INITIATIVE.— 18 (1) GRANTS.—In carrying out the program, the 19 Secretary shall award multiyear grants to eligible 20 entities for research, development, and demonstra- 21 tion projects to advance new solar energy manufac- 22 turing technologies and techniques, including to 23 manufacture solar cells, hardware, and enabling de- 24 vices. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 19:58 Dec 18, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2668.RS S2668 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 2668 RS (2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under para- 1 graph (1), to the extent practicable, the Secretary 2 shall— 3 (A) follow the recommendations in the re- 4 port described in paragraph (3)(B)(ii); and 5 (B) give priority to solar energy manufac- 6 turing projects that— 7 (i) reduce capital expenditures or pro- 8 vide lower-cost manufacturing options; 9 (ii) eliminate manufacturing process 10 steps; 11 (iii) reduce energy, water, and mate- 12 rial in [Text truncated for display. 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