[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2782 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2782
To provide for a program of wind energy research, development, and
demonstration, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 1, 2011
Mr. Tonko introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for a program of wind energy research, development, and
demonstration, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Wind Energy Research and Development
Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. WIND ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall carry out a program
of research and development to--
(1) improve the energy efficiency, reliability, and
capacity of wind turbines;
(2) optimize the design and adaptability of wind energy
systems to the broadest practical range of atmospheric
conditions; and
(3) reduce the cost of construction, generation, and
maintenance of wind energy systems.
(b) Program.--The program under this section shall focus on
research and development of--
(1) new materials and designs to make larger, lighter, less
expensive, and more reliable and longer lifecycle rotor blades;
(2) technologies to improve gearbox performance,
reliability, and lifecycle;
(3) automation, materials, and assembly of large-scale
components to reduce manufacturing costs;
(4) low-cost transportable towers greater than 100 meters
in height to capitalize on improved wind conditions at higher
elevations;
(5) wind technology for offshore applications, including
improvement of analysis, testing, verification, and
certification to reduce up front time and cost;
(6) advanced computational modeling tools to improve--
(A) the reliability of aeroelastic simulations of
wind energy systems;
(B) understanding of the interaction between each
wind turbine component;
(C) understanding the loads and lifecycle of each
wind turbine component;
(D) siting of wind energy systems to maximize
efficiency and minimize variable generation;
(E) integration of wind energy systems into the
existing electric grid to ensure reliability; and
(F) understanding of the wake effect between upwind
and downwind turbine operations;
(7) advanced control systems and blade sensors to improve
performance and reliability under a wide variety of wind
conditions;
(8) advanced generators, including--
(A) automated system and drive train sensors to
predict and manage maintenance process;
(B) medium-speed and low-speed generators;
(C) direct-drive technology; and
(D) the use of advanced magnets in generator
rotors;
(9) methods to assess and mitigate the effects of wind
energy systems on radar and electromagnetic fields;
(10) technical processes to enable--
(A) scalability of transmission from remotely
located renewable resource rich areas; and
(B) optimization of advanced infrastructure design,
including high voltage transmission; and
(11) other research areas as determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 3. WIND ENERGY DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall conduct a wind
energy demonstration program. In carrying out this section, the
Secretary shall ensure that--
(1) the program is of sufficient size and geographic
diversity to measure wind energy system performance under the
full productive range of wind conditions in the United States;
(2) demonstration projects carried out under this program
are--
(A) conducted in collaboration with industry and,
as appropriate, with academic institutions; and
(B) located in various geographic areas
representing various wind class regimes; and
(3) data collected from demonstration projects carried out
under this program is useful for carrying out section 2(b).
(b) Cost-Sharing.--The Secretary shall carry out the program under
this section in compliance with section 988(a) through (d) and section
989 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(a) through (d)
and 16353).
SEC. 4. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY.
In carrying out this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall--
(1) coordinate with the Office of Minority Economic Impact
and with the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business
Utilization; and
(2) provide special consideration to applications submitted
by institutions, businesses, or entities containing majority
representation by individuals identified in section 33 or 34 of
the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C.
1885a or 1885b).
SEC. 5. COMPETITIVE AWARDS.
Awards under section 2 and section 3 shall be made on a competitive
basis with an emphasis on technical merit.
SEC. 6. COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.
To the maximum extent practicable the Secretary of Energy shall
coordinate activities under this Act with other programs of the
Department of Energy and other Federal research programs.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy
to carry out this Act $200,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012
through 2016.
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