42 U.S.C. § 16315: Electricity Storage…

Summary

Create and run the Electricity Storage Research Initiative to learn how to store and convert electricity and chemical energy. The program must study chemical and physical processes in solids, polymers, and liquids. It must help the United States stay competitive in energy storage and move basic research toward real-world use while cutting environmental harm. The Secretary must use experts and tools from several DOE offices (like Basic Energy Sciences, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Biological and Environmental Research, and Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) and work with national labs, universities, and private companies. Teams must set clear milestones and get enough support to meet them. The Secretary may also use research centers or innovation hubs. The Initiative must run three focused research efforts. One studies multivalent ion materials and how they behave; another models and simulates organic electrolytes at the molecular and atomic level for single- and multi-valent systems; the third studies electrochemistry in small, confined spaces and related bio-electrochemical and energy conversion behavior. Each program must have lab and computing research and follow milestone reviews. The law authorizes $50,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2023 through 2027 for the multivalent work, $50,000,000 per year for 2023–2027 for the electrolyte modeling work, and $20,000,000 per year for 2023–2027 for the mesoscale work, drawn from basic energy sciences funds.

Title 42, §16315

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(a)Initiative

(1)In general

The Secretary shall carry out a research initiative, to be known as the “Electricity Storage Research Initiative” (referred to in this section as the “Initiative”)—

(A)to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge to control, store, and convert—

(i)electrical energy to chemical energy; and

(ii)chemical energy to electrical energy;

(B)to support scientific inquiry into the practical understanding of chemical and physical processes that occur within systems involving crystalline and amorphous solids, polymers, and organic and aqueous liquids; and

(C)to ensure the competitiveness of the United States in energy storage by fostering an ecosystem linking fundamental research and development to deployment of storage solutions while minimizing the environmental impacts of energy storage technologies.

(2)Leveraging

In carrying out programs and activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise and resources from—

(A)the Basic Energy Sciences Program, the Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program, and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science;

(B)the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and

(C)any other relevant office of the Department.

(3)Teams

(A)In general

In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise from the National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the private sector.

(B)Goals

The multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research goals.

(C)Resources

The Secretary shall provide sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to be determined by the Secretary.

(4)Additional activities

The Secretary may organize additional activities under this subsection through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.

(b)Multivalent systems

(1)In general

The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to, multivalent ion materials in electric energy storage systems.

(2)Activities

As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—

(A)the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall investigate electrochemical properties and the dynamics of materials, including charge transfer phenomena and mass transport in materials; and

(B)the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.

(3)Standard of review

The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.

(4)Funding

Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out activities under this subsection $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

(c)Electrochemistry modeling and simulation

(1)In general

The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research to model and simulate organic electrolytes, including the static and dynamic electrochemical behavior and phenomena of organic electrolytes at the molecular and atomic level in monovalent and multivalent systems.

(2)Activities

As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—

(A)the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, in coordination with the Associate Director of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, shall support the development of high performance computational tools through a joint development process to maximize the effectiveness of current and projected high performance computing systems; and

(B)the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.

(3)Standard of review

The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.

(4)Funding

(d)Mesoscale electrochemistry

(1)In general

The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to reveal electrochemistry in confined mesoscale spaces, including scientific discoveries relevant to—

(A)bio-electrochemistry and electrochemical energy conversion and storage in confined spaces; and

(B)the dynamics of the phenomena described in subparagraph (A).

(2)Activities

As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—

(A)the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Associate Director of Biological and Environmental Research shall investigate phenomena of mesoscale electrochemical confinement for the purpose of replicating and controlling new electrochemical behavior; and

(B)the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.

(3)Standard of review

The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.

(4)Funding

Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out activities under this subsection $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(A), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(B), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(2), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.” Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(3), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.” Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(4), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.” 2018—Pub. L. 115–246 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary shall conduct a program of fundamental research on solid state lighting in support of the Next Generation Lighting Initiative carried out under section 16192 of this title.”

§16315 Electricity Storage Research Initiative

Summary

Title 42, §16315

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata