U.S. Congress Considers Ways to Promote Renewable Energy Storage

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Under legislation now being considered by Congress, U.S. power utilities would increase their energy storage via various technologies as a percentage of their annual peak power demand. The Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015 is intended to make the electrical grid more stable and would help to integrate more renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power.

Industrial Info is tracking 543 hydroelectric capital projects, worth $95.1 billion in total investment value, and 91 hydroelectric maintenance projects, worth $404 million, in North America.

Power utilities could use technologies such as hydro-pumped storage, batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, compressed and thermal energy, and flywheels. The measure was under consideration by the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Another legislative measure, which was introduced in the House of Representatives, would make incentives available to developers to continue to advance marine hydrokinetic technologies, as well as to identify and study critical short- and long-term needs, in order to create a sustainable marine and hydrokinetic supply chain. House Resolution 2220, the Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act of 2015, seeks to assist in technology development, establish critical testing infrastructure, and accelerate the technological readiness of the devices to increase the survivability and reliability of marine-hydrokinetic devices; promote the commercialization of the technology; and coordinate and avoid duplication across several federal agencies.

In Hawaii, state legislators recently passed a bill to allow the development of micro-hydroelectric projects on state agricultural land. House Bill 1273 would allow for construction of hydropower projects with up to 500 kilowatts (kW) of capacity, if built, as an accessory to agricultural activities on land only used for agricultural use.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and the U.S. Department of the Army for Civil Works recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for hydropower for an additional five years. The Sustainable Hydropower Action Plan seeks to double the U.S. renewable generating portfolio by 2020, and more in future decades.

The three U.S. agencies seek to improve the accuracy of water flow measurement technology and to reduce costs; evaluate superconducting generator technology; further develop low-impact hydro technologies; design tools to improve the environmental performance of hydro turbines; and continue assessment of climate change risks to hydroelectric generation and water infrastructure.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.