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Managing America: Energy

TheWeekInCongress.com (TM)

Week Ending October 26, 2007

H.R.3776 To provide for a research, development, and demonstration program by the Secretary of Energy to support the ability of the United States to remain globally competitive in energy storage systems for vehicles, stationary applications, and electricity transmission and distribution.

The bill calls for a research, development and demonstration program to support the ability of the US to remain globally competitive in energy storage systems for vehicles, stationary applications and electricity transmission and distribution.

Authorized is a basic research program to support the development of energy storage systems in the areas of materials design, materials synthesis and characterization, electrolytes. Surface and interface dynamics, modeling and simulation and thermal behavior and life degradation mechanisms.

Also authorized is an applied research program to include research in ultracapacitors, flywheels, batteries and battery systems, compressed air energy systems, power conditioning electronics, manufacturing systems for energy storage systems and thermal management systems.

Six energy storage system demonstrations are to be carried out that will expand on the Energy Department’s existing technology program. The demonstration should include rural electric cooperatives, investor owned utilities, municipally owned electric utilities, energy storage systems manufacturers, vehicle manufacturers, the renewable energy production industry, State or local energy offices, the fuel cell industry, and universities. The focus on the consortium will be towards energy storage to improve the feasibility of micro-grids or islanding, or the transmission and distribution capability to improve reliability in rural areas. Other ares of attention will include integration of an energy storage system with self-healing cirucuits, the use of energy storage to improve security to emergency response infrastructure, integration with a renewable energy production source, use of energy storage to provide ancillary services, advancement of power conversion systems to make them smarter, more efficient, able to communicate with inverters and control voltage, the use of energy storage to optimize transmission and distribution operation and power quality that could address overloaded lines and maintenance of transformers and substations, use of advanced energy storage for peak shaving of homes, businesses or grid and the use of energy storage devises such as plug-in hybrid vehicles to fill up the night time valley for electricity demand.

Another program is to be carried out to demonstrate novel, high-capacity, high efficiency energy storage, charging and control systems, advanced onboard energy management systems, highly efficient battery cooling systems, integration of those systems on a vehicle prototype and with electricity distribution system and smart metering technology

Sponsor:  Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN-6^th)

Vote: Passed House by voice vote October 22, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: $130 million 2009 through 2014 and such sums as may be necessary for the demonstration projects.

Earmark Certification:   Not applicable to this bill.

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