Energy Subcommittee Discusses Grid-Scale Energy Storage and Battery Innovations
(Washington, DC) – Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Energy Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the Department of Energy’s role in advancing grid-scale energy storage technologies, which are critical to making our electric grid more efficient, reliable, and resilient.
Testifying before the subcommittee was Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program Manager in the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability at the Department of Energy; Dr. Jud Virden, Jr., Associate Laboratory Director for Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Mr. Phil Giudice, Chief Executive Officer of Ambri; and Jay Whitacre, Chief Technology Officer of Aquion Energy.
Ranking Member Alan Grayson (D-FL) of the Energy Subcommittee said in his opening statement, “Energy storage allows the buying of energy when prices are low, and the selling of energy when prices are high. This capability can lead to a reduction in electricity congestion on America’s electrical infrastructure, lowering prices for some consumers, but also potentially lowering utility revenues for providers. Well-placed storage units can eliminate the need for building additional transmission lines in some areas, saving consumers money.”
Ranking Member Grayson continued later in his statement, “Federally-funded research has the potential to create new product lines, new business opportunities, and new international markets. Storage technology can make America’s energy future arrive faster, and that is always our goal.”
Members and witnesses discussed the range of issues that energy storage innovations must address in order to meet our nation’s energy demands. Democratic Members inquired about private investments in grid-scale energy storage R&D, as well as the value of both basic and applied research in the energy innovation ecosystem. In particular, these discussions highlighted the often indistinguishable difference – and false choice – between basic and applied energy research, as applied research to scale up new energy technologies often reveals new scientific challenges that the private sector alone simply will not address.
In response to a question from Congressman Mark Takano (D-CA) about ARPA-E, Mr. Giudice said, “They are there to try and help create the breakthroughs that will serve our country and our planet for years and years and years to come. There is no alternative to that. There isn’t a private sector group that’s going to stand in to do that. There are not private investors through the venture capital type community that can stand up and take the lead on these kinds of innovations. The large corporations are spending very small amounts of money because it’s not economically attractive to them to do that, so there is no one else to take on that leadership. I strongly encourage the continued support for the ARPA-E program. ”
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