Renewable energy advocates celebrated Congress’ passing of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which includes billions of dollars for renewable energy projects and research.
President Joe Biden called the funding package a “once-in-a-generation” investment solar, wind, energy storage, and electric vehicle technologies that will create millions of jobs.
Heather Zichal, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, congratulated the Biden administration for its victory on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but urged continued focus on budget reconciliation negotiations.
“Now the House and Senate must continue their work on the Build Back Better Act (BBBA) to enact key climate provisions and the largest federal investment in clean energy in American history,” Zichal said. “Clean energy infrastructure means jobs. With over 415,000 Americans already working in wind, solar and energy storage across America, the Build Back Better Act investment in infrastructure will continue the rapid growth of job-creating clean energy projects and help meet our emissions reduction targets.”
Hydrogen was perhaps the biggest clean energy winner in the bipartisan infrastructure package, securing $9.5 billion for research and deployment of clean hydrogen technologies.
What’s in the bipartisan infrastructure bill for clean energy?
Grid upgrades
- $65 billion for grid reliability and resiliency upgrades, but only $2.5 billion of that is dedicated to new power lines, as noted by Canary Media. Issues surrounding interconnection, grid enhancements, and cost-sharing continue to limit the expansion of clean energy technologies and the decarbonization of the grid.
- $3 billion for the Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant Program.
Wind, solar, geothermal
- Funding for renewable energy demonstration projects, including $84 million for enhanced geothermal systems, $100 million for wind energy, and $80 million for solar energy.
Energy efficiency and weatherization
- $50 billion for climate resilience, weatherization, and cybersecurity
- $250 million for energy efficiency revolving loan fund capitalization grant program
- $40 million for establishment of competitive grant program to train individuals to conduct energy audits of commercial and residential buildings
- $225 million grant program to enable the Building Technologies Office within DOE to update building energy codes
- $20 million for energy efficiency workforce development
- $3.5 billion for Weatherization Assistance Program
Energy storage
- $355 million Energy Storage Demonstration Projects and Pilot Grant Program
- $150 million for a Long-Duration Demonstration Initiative and Joint Program
- $825.7 million for mineral security projects
Hydrogen
- $8 billion for four clean hydrogen hubs to demonstrate the production, processing, delivery, storage, and end-use of clean hydrogen
- $500 million for clean hydrogen manufacturing and recycling to support a clean hydrogen domestic supply chain
- $1 billion for demonstration, commercialization and deployment to decrease the cost of electrolyzers
Hydropower
- $125 million for hydroelectric production incentives
- $75 million for hydroelectric efficiency improvement incentives
- $553.6 million for hydroelectric resiliency upgrades
- $10 million for a pumped storage demonstration project to facilitate long-duration storage of intermittent renewable electricity
Electric vehicles
- $7.5 trillion for electric vehicle charging stations
- $5 billion for the purchase of electric school buses and hybrids