[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3258-S3259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Reed, and Mr. 
        Coons):
  S. 1741. A bill to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish a 
program to advance energy storage deployment by reducing the cost of 
energy storage through research, development, and demonstration, and 
for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I am introducing a set of three bills 
that will lower the cost of energy storage, increase flexibility in the 
power grid, and create a comprehensive set of grant programs to advance 
development of renewable energy technologies throughout the country.
  Currently, many energy technologies--like energy storage--compete in 
unfair markets, making it hard for new innovations to measure up to 
more established technologies like those of the fossil fuel industry. 
Congress and the Department of Energy

[[Page S3259]]

can work hand-in-hand with industry to level the playing field, using a 
fair, tech-neutral approach when updating the electricity system, to 
benefit the American consumer.
  My Reducing the Cost of Energy Storage Act will provide funding to 
the Department of Energy to research and develop ways to lower the cost 
of energy storage technologies. Ultimately, this bill will make it 
possible for renewable energy to be used on a more reliable and 
affordable basis.
  To protect the power supply from disruptions caused by natural 
disasters, which can wipe out power to millions of homes, my Flexible 
Grid Infrastructure Act will require the Department of Energy to find 
and develop ways to make the power grid more flexible and responsive to 
these challenges. The bill will also connect displaced workers to 
training programs that will allow them to transition to high-skill 
clean energy jobs. Finally, this bill will provide States and utilities 
with resources to upgrade the flexibility and reliability of the power 
grid.
  In order to ensure private sector growth in distributed energy 
technologies, my Distributed Energy Demonstration Act will create 
competitive, cost-share grant programs for new small-scale, grid-
connected projects, such as rooftop solar panels, hot water heaters, 
electric vehicles, and modernized utility pricing technologies.
  Together or apart, these bills will promote a more flexible 
electricity grid that can respond to power disruptions from natural 
disasters and ensure reliable, low-cost electricity for consumers now 
and in the future. They will also lower costs for energy storage 
technologies that make renewable energy more reliable and cost-
effective, boost funding for cutting-edge research, and reward State 
and private sector innovations, which will make renewable energy more 
reliable and affordab1e for U.S. energy consumers.
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