---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 16315"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "16315"
heading: "Electricity Storage Research Initiative"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/16315"
units:
  - "Chapter 149 — National Energy Policy and Programs"
  - "Subchapter IX — Research and Development"
  - "Part G — Science"
---

# §16315. Electricity Storage Research Initiative

- (a) **Initiative—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall carry out a research initiative, to be known as the “Electricity Storage Research Initiative” (referred to in this section as the “Initiative”)—
    - (A) to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge to control, store, and convert—
      - (i) electrical energy to chemical energy; and
      - (ii) chemical energy to electrical energy;
    - (B) to support scientific inquiry into the practical understanding of chemical and physical processes that occur within systems involving crystalline and amorphous solids, polymers, and organic and aqueous liquids; and
    - (C) to ensure the competitiveness of the United States in energy storage by fostering an ecosystem linking fundamental research and development to deployment of storage solutions while minimizing the environmental impacts of energy storage technologies.
  - (2) **Leveraging—** In carrying out programs and activities under the Initiative, the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall leverage expertise and resources from—
    - (A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program, the Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program, and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science;
    - (B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; and
    - (C) any other relevant office of the [Department](/usc/42/15801.md?p=1).
  - (3) **Teams—**
    - (A) **In general—** In carrying out the Initiative, the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise from the [National Laboratories](/usc/42/15801.md?p=3), institutions of higher education, and the private sector.
    - (B) **Goals—** The multidisciplinary teams described in [subparagraph (A)](#a-3-A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research goals.
    - (C) **Resources—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall provide sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams described in [subparagraph (A)](#a-3-A) to achieve the goals described in [subparagraph (B)](#a-3-B) over a period of time to be determined by the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4).
  - (4) **Additional activities—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) may organize additional activities under this subsection through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
- (b) **Multivalent systems—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to, multivalent ion materials in electric energy storage systems.
  - (2) **Activities—** As part of the program described in [paragraph (1)](#b-1)—
    - (A) the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall investigate electrochemical properties and the dynamics of materials, including charge transfer phenomena and mass transport in materials; and
    - (B) the Assistant [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
  - (3) **Standard of review—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall review activities carried out under the program described in [paragraph (1)](#b-1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
  - (4) **Funding—** Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) to carry out activities under this subsection $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
- (c) **Electrochemistry modeling and simulation—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research to model and simulate organic electrolytes, including the static and dynamic electrochemical behavior and phenomena of organic electrolytes at the molecular and atomic level in monovalent and multivalent systems.
  - (2) **Activities—** As part of the program described in [paragraph (1)](#c-1)—
    - (A) the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, in coordination with the Associate [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, shall support the development of high performance computational tools through a joint development process to maximize the effectiveness of current and projected high performance computing systems; and
    - (B) the Assistant [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
  - (3) **Standard of review—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall review activities carried out under the program described in [paragraph (1)](#c-1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
  - (4) **Funding—** Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) to carry out activities under this subsection $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
- (d) **Mesoscale electrochemistry—**
  - (1) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to reveal electrochemistry in confined mesoscale spaces, including scientific discoveries relevant to—
    - (A) bio-electrochemistry and electrochemical energy conversion and storage in confined spaces; and
    - (B) the dynamics of the phenomena described in [subparagraph (A)](#d-1-A).
  - (2) **Activities—** As part of the program described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1)—
    - (A) the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Associate [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) of Biological and Environmental Research shall investigate phenomena of mesoscale electrochemical confinement for the purpose of replicating and controlling new electrochemical behavior; and
    - (B) the Assistant [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
  - (3) **Standard of review—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) shall review activities carried out under the program described in [paragraph (1)](#d-1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
  - (4) **Funding—** Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the [Secretary](/usc/42/15801.md?p=4) to carry out activities under this subsection $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 975, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 903; Pub. L. 115–246, title III, § 303(g)(1), formerly § 303(e)(1), Sept. 28, 2018, 132 Stat. 3143, renumbered § 303(g)(1), Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(a)(1), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1409; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(c), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1415.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(A), added subpar. (C).

Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(B), added subpar. (C).

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(2), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.”

Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(3), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.”

Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(4), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.”

2018—Pub. L. 115–246 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary shall conduct a program of fundamental research on solid state lighting in support of the Next Generation Lighting Initiative carried out under section 16192 of this title.”