[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3918 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3918

  To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish a 
      shared savings incentive to return a portion of the savings 
   attributable to an investment in grid-enhancing technology to the 
  developer of that grid-enhancing technology, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2024

  Mr. Welch (for himself and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish a 
      shared savings incentive to return a portion of the savings 
   attributable to an investment in grid-enhancing technology to the 
  developer of that grid-enhancing technology, 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 ``Advancing Grid-Enhancing 
Technologies Act of 2024'' or the ``Advancing GETs Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Energy Regulatory Commission.
            (2) Grid-enhancing technology.--The term ``grid-enhancing 
        technology'' means any hardware or software that--
                    (A) increases the capacity, efficiency, 
                reliability, resilience, or safety of transmission 
                facilities and transmission technologies; and
                    (B) is installed in addition to transmission 
                facilities and transmission technologies--
                            (i) to give operators of the transmission 
                        facilities and transmission technologies more 
                        situational awareness and control over the 
                        electric grid;
                            (ii) to make the transmission facilities 
                        and transmission technologies more efficient; 
                        or
                            (iii) to increase the transfer capacity of 
                        the transmission facilities and transmission 
                        technologies.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.

SEC. 3. SHARED SAVINGS INCENTIVE FOR GRID-ENHANCING TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Definition of Developer.--In this section, the term 
``developer'', with respect to grid-enhancing technology, means the 
entity that pays to install the grid-enhancing technology.
    (b) Establishment of Shared Savings Incentive.--Not later than July 
1, 2025, the Commission shall promulgate a final rule to implement 
section 219(b)(3) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824s(b)(3)) by 
providing a shared savings incentive that returns a portion of the 
savings attributable to an investment in grid-enhancing technology to 
the developer of that grid-enhancing technology, in accordance with 
this section.
    (c) Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission shall determine the 
        percentage of savings attributable to an investment in grid-
        enhancing technology that can be returned to the developer of 
        that grid-enhancing technology pursuant to the shared savings 
        incentive established under subsection (b), subject to the 
        condition that the percentage is not less than 10 percent and 
        not more than 25 percent.
            (2) Time period for recovery.--The shared savings incentive 
        established under subsection (b) shall return a percentage, 
        determined in accordance with paragraph (1), of the applicable 
        savings to the developer of the applicable grid-enhancing 
        technology over a period of 3 years.
    (d) Eligibility.--Subject to subsection (e), the shared savings 
incentive established under subsection (b) shall apply with respect 
to--
            (1) any developer, with respect to the investment of that 
        developer in grid-enhancing technology that is installed as 
        described in section 2(2)(B); and
            (2) any grid-enhancing technology, including--
                    (A) grid-enhancing technology that relates to new 
                transmission facilities or technologies; and
                    (B) grid-enhancing technology that relates to 
                existing transmission facilities or technologies.
    (e) Limitations.--
            (1) Minimum savings.--
                    (A) In general.--The shared savings incentive 
                established under subsection (b) shall apply with 
                respect to an investment in grid-enhancing technology 
                only if the expected savings attributable to the 
                investment over the 3-year period described in 
                subsection (c)(2), as determined by the Commission, are 
                at least 4 times the cost of the investment.
                    (B) Determination.--
                            (i) In general.--The Commission shall 
                        determine how to quantify the cost of an 
                        investment and the expected savings 
                        attributable to an investment for purposes of 
                        subparagraph (A).
                            (ii) Costs.--For purposes of subparagraph 
                        (A), the cost of an investment may include any 
                        costs associated with the permitting, 
                        installation, or purchase of the applicable 
                        grid-enhancing technology.
            (2) Already installed gets.--The shared savings incentive 
        established under subsection (b) may not be applied with 
        respect to grid-enhancing technology that is already installed 
        as of the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Consumer protection.--The Commission shall determine 
        appropriate consumer protections for the shared savings 
        incentive established under subsection (b).

SEC. 4. CONGESTION REPORTING.

    (a) In General.--Beginning on the date that is 1 year after the 
effective date of the rule promulgated under subsection (b), all 
operators of transmission facilities or technologies shall submit to 
the Commission annual reports containing data on the costs associated 
with congestion management with respect to the transmission facilities 
or technologies.
    (b) Rulemaking.--Not later than July 1, 2025, the Commission shall 
promulgate a final rule establishing a universal metric and protocol 
for the measuring and reporting of data under subsection (a).
    (c) Uses of Data.--
            (1) Analyses.--
                    (A) In general.--The Commission and the Secretary 
                shall each use the data submitted under subsection (a) 
                to conduct analyses, as the Commission or the 
                Secretary, as applicable, determines to be appropriate.
                    (B) Coordination.--The Commission and the Secretary 
                may coordinate with respect to any analyses conducted 
                using the data submitted under subsection (a).
            (2) Map.--The Commission and the Secretary, acting jointly, 
        shall--
                    (A) use the data submitted under subsection (a) to 
                create a map of costs associated with congestion 
                management in the transmission system; and
                    (B) update that map not less frequently than once 
                each year.
    (d) Publication of Data and Map.--The Commission and the Secretary 
shall make the data submitted under subsection (a) and the map 
described in subsection (c)(2) publicly available on the websites of--
            (1) the Commission; and
            (2) the Department of Energy.

SEC. 5. GRID-ENHANCING TECHNOLOGY APPLICATION GUIDE.

    (a) Definition of Developer.--In this section, the term 
``developer'' means a developer of transmission facilities or 
transmission technologies, including a developer of transmission 
facilities or transmission technologies that pays to install grid-
enhancing technology with respect to those transmission facilities or 
transmission technologies.
    (b) Establishment of Application Guide.--Not later than July 1, 
2025, the Secretary shall establish an application guide for utilities 
and developers seeking to implement grid-enhancing technologies.
    (c) Updates.--The guide established under subsection (b) shall be 
reviewed and updated annually.
    (d) Technical Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--On request of a utility or developer using 
        the guide established under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 
        provide technical assistance to that utility or developer with 
        respect to the use of grid-enhancing technologies for 
        particular applications.
            (2) Clearinghouse.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall establish a clearinghouse of previously 
        completed grid-enhancing technology projects that the 
        Secretary, utilities, and developers may use to identify issues 
        and solutions relating to the use of grid-enhancing 
        technologies for particular applications.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section, to remain available until 
expended--
            (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; and
            (2) $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2035.
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