[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2660 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2660
To establish a grant program for wind energy research, development, and
demonstration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 22, 2019
Ms. Smith (for herself and Ms. Collins) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a grant program for wind energy research, development, and
demonstration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wind Energy Research and Development
Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) an institution of higher education;
(B) a National Laboratory;
(C) a Federal research agency;
(D) a State research agency;
(E) a nonprofit research organization;
(F) an industrial entity; and
(G) a consortium of two or more entities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
(2) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).
(3) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(4) Program.--The term ``program'' means the program
established under section 3(a).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(6) Supersized turbine.--The term ``supersized turbine''
means a 12-megawatt or greater wind turbine that typically has
a tower height greater than 140 meters and blades greater than
75 meters.
SEC. 3. WIND ENERGY TECHNOLOGY, RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TESTING
GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a program
under which the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive,
merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities to conduct research,
development, testing, and evaluation of wind energy
technologies in accordance with this section.
(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the program are the
following:
(A) To improve the energy efficiency, reliability,
resilience, security, and capacity of wind energy
generation.
(B) To optimize the design and control of wind
energy systems for the broadest practical range of
atmospheric conditions.
(C) To reduce the cost and risk of permitting,
construction, operation, and maintenance of wind energy
systems, including using technologies to reduce
environmental and community impacts, improve grid
integration, and reduce regulatory barriers.
(D) To improve materials, engineering, and
manufacturing processes for turbines, including
supersized turbines.
(E) To optimize wind plant performance and
integration within hybrid energy systems to enhance
cost efficiency and electric grid stability and
resilience.
(3) Coordination.--To the maximum extent practicable, the
Secretary shall coordinate activities under the program with
other relevant programs and capabilities of the Department of
Energy and other Federal research programs.
(b) Grant Subject Areas.--In addition to awarding the grants
described in subsections (c) through (e), the Secretary shall award
grants under the program to eligible entities to carry out research,
development, testing, and evaluation in the following subject areas:
(1) Wind power plant performance and operations,
including--
(A) wind flows and turbine-to-turbine interactions;
(B) energy conversion potential;
(C) turbine and wind plant control paradigms;
(D) turbine and wind plant security;
(E) turbine components; and
(F) integrated hybrid plant systems.
(2) New materials and designs relating to blades, rotors,
towers, and drivetrains, including--
(A) higher tip speed rotor designs;
(B) low-noise rotor designs;
(C) advanced drivetrain and generator concepts;
(D) modular construction and onsite or near-site
manufacturing and assembly techniques, including the
use of additive manufacturing;
(E) sustainable and recyclable materials, including
thermoplastics, and manufacturing systems;
(F) supersized turbine design and installation
approaches; and
(G) lightweight materials.
(3) Offshore wind-specific projects, including--
(A) fixed and floating substructure concepts;
(B) projects to assess and mitigate the impacts of
hurricane wind flow, freshwater ice, and other
conditions specific to the United States;
(C) innovative operations and maintenance
strategies;
(D) analysis of offshore meteorological,
geological, and oceanographic data collection;
(E) offshore infrastructure monitoring; and
(F) analysis of corrosion and fatigue for the
purpose of extending the design life of offshore wind
turbine substructures.
(4) Recycling and reuse of wind energy components.
(5) Wind power forecasting and atmospheric measurement
systems, including for turbines and plant systems of varying
height.
(6) Distributed wind-specific projects, including--
(A) cost-effective turbine designs, components, and
manufacturing; and
(B) microgrid applications.
(7) Advanced transportation mechanisms for wind turbine
components.
(8) Transformational technologies for harnessing wind
energy, including airborne wind energy concepts.
(9) Methods to extend the operational lifetime of onshore
and offshore wind turbines and systems.
(10) Other research areas, as determined by the Secretary.
(c) Wind Energy Technology Validation and Market Transformation
Grants.--
(1) Demonstration projects.--In carrying out the program,
the Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to carry
out demonstration projects that demonstrate and validate new
wind energy technologies that have the potential to be cost-
competitive for land-based, offshore, and distributed
applications.
(2) Facility for hybrid energy system research grants.--In
carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award grants to
eligible entities to establish a facility or support an
existing facility in conducting research and demonstration
projects for wind turbines and plants in hybrid energy systems
that incorporate diverse generation sources, loads, and storage
technologies.
(3) Offshore research facility grants.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to
establish a facility to conduct research, development,
and demonstration projects, in coordination with the
oceanic and atmospheric science communities, for ocean
and atmospheric resource characterization relevant to
offshore wind energy development.
(B) Facility requirements.--A facility established
using a grant under subparagraph (A) shall be an
offshore facility used to evaluate, test, and advance
atmospheric, oceanic, biologic, and geologic monitoring
technologies that improve offshore wind energy
development, including the generation of benchmark data
sets for testing offshore wind energy technologies and
informing how those technologies may be financed,
insured, and regulated.
(4) Offshore support structure testing facility grants.--In
carrying out the program, the Secretary shall award grants to
eligible entities to establish a facility to conduct research,
development, and demonstration projects for large-scale and
full-scale offshore wind energy support structure components
and systems, with an emphasis on innovative structures,
including floating substructures.
(5) Applications.--An eligible entity seeking a grant under
this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application at
such time, in such manner, and containing such information as
the Secretary may require, including, in the case of an
application for a grant under paragraph (1), a certification
that the proposed demonstration project shall be--
(A) conducted in collaboration with industry and,
as appropriate, with institutions of higher education
and other Federal research programs; and
(B) of sufficient size and geographic diversity to
measure wind energy system performance under the full
productive range of wind conditions in the United
States.
(d) Wind Energy Incubator Grants.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to support innovative
technologies that are not significantly represented in--
(1) the portfolio of wind energy research activities
carried out by the Secretary as of the date of enactment of
this Act; or
(2) technology roadmaps used by the Department of Energy as
of that date.
(e) Mitigating Regulatory and Market Barrier Grants.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary
shall award grants to eligible entities to research, develop,
test, and evaluate ways to reduce regulatory and market
barriers to the widespread adoption of wind power, including--
(A) grid transmission and integration challenges;
and
(B) permitting issues associated with the potential
impacts of wind power systems on wildlife, radar
systems, local communities, military operations, and
airspace.
(2) Wildlife impact mitigation.--Of the grants awarded
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall ensure that a
substantial portion include the development, testing, and
evaluation of wildlife impact mitigation technologies or
strategies to reduce the potential impacts of wind energy
facilities on--
(A) bald and golden eagles;
(B) bat species;
(C) marine wildlife; and
(D) other impacted species.
(f) Education and Outreach.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary shall support education and outreach activities to
disseminate information and promote public understanding of wind
technologies and the wind energy workforce, including the Collegiate
Wind Competition.
(g) Wages.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all
laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on
projects funded by grants under this section shall be paid wages at
rates not less than those prevailing on projects of a similar character
in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor, in accordance
with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the program--
(1) $103,692,000 for fiscal year 2020;
(2) $108,876,600 for fiscal year 2021;
(3) $114,320,430 for fiscal year 2022;
(4) $120,036,452 for fiscal year 2023; and
(5) $126,038,274 for fiscal year 2024.
SEC. 4. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.
(1) Section 4 of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Technology Competitiveness Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 12003) is
amended--
(A) in subsection (a)--
(i) by striking paragraph (1); and
(ii) by redesignating paragraphs (2)
through (5) as paragraphs (1) through (4),
respectively; and
(B) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding
paragraph (1), by striking ``the Wind Energy Research
Program,''.
(2) Section 931(a)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42
U.S.C. 16231(a)(2)) is amended--
(A) by striking subparagraph (B); and
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) through (E)
as subparagraphs (B) through (D), respectively.
(3) Section 636 of the Energy Independence and Security Act
of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17215) is amended by striking ``section
931(a)(2)(E)(i)'' and all that follows through the period at
the end and inserting ``subparagraph (D)(i) of section
931(a)(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
16231(a)(2)).''.
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