Better Energy Storage and Safety Act

Key Points

• This bill focuses on making large-scale batteries safer for homes and the power grid. It directs the government to study why batteries fail and how to prevent fires or explosions.
• The Department of Energy would work with fire experts and scientists to test batteries until they break. This stress testing helps engineers design better safety systems and early warning tools for the public.
• The plan increases the number of large battery projects the government must support from three to five. It also extends the timeline for these projects to 2030 to allow for more advanced research into new technologies.
• It sets aside $30 million every year from 2027 through 2031 specifically for safety research. This money will help find new battery materials that are less likely to catch fire than the ones used today.
• The bill also looks at second-life batteries, which are old electric car batteries used to store power for buildings. It requires new safety checks to make sure these used batteries are still reliable and safe to use.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.