[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15111-15112]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. WYDEN:
  S. 1874. A bill to direct the Secretary of Energy to establish 
certain demonstration grant programs relating to the demonstration of 
advanced distribution systems, smart water heaters, vehicle-to-grid 
integration, and granular retail electricity pricing, 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 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 affordable for U.S. energy consumers.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. WYDEN:
  S. 1875. A bill to move the United States toward greater energy 
independence and security, to increase the flexibility, efficiency, and 
reliability of the

[[Page 15112]]

electric grid, to increase the competitiveness of the United States 
economy, to protect consumers, and to improve the energy performance of 
the Federal Government, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Energy and Natural Resources.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Reed):
  S. 1876. 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.

                          ____________________