October 1, 2020
House advances bill that would create energy storage grants and federal technical assistance program
The House this week passed the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act (H.R. 4447), pushing for innovation in clean energy, greater electrification of the transportation sector, efficiency in the home sector, and modernization of the grid at large. Proponents hope that the bill, which authorizes $5 million annually for the program from 2020 through 2025, would also provide well paying jobs wherever its funding went. It also received praise from the Energy Storage Association (ESA). “By passing H.R. 4447, the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, numerous bipartisan proposals for promoting energy storage are moving forward, including increasing R&D and demonstration investments in energy storage technology, integrating storage across all DOE Energy offices, assisting rural customers with storage for resilience, and incorporating storage into public investments in transportation electrification and workforce development,” ESA CEO Kelly Speakes-Backman said. “ESA is pleased to support these efforts to ready the electric system for 21st century demands to provide resilient, efficient, sustainable, and affordable electric service.”
