LONG-DURATION DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE AND JOINT PROGRAM.

SEC. 321. [10 U.S.C. 2911 note] LONG-DURATION DEMONSTRATION INITIATIVE AND JOINT PROGRAM. (a) Establishment of Initiative.—Not later than March 1, 2022, the Secretary of Defense shall establish a demonstration initiative composed of demonstration projects focused on the development of long-duration energy storage technologies. (b) Selection of Projects.—To the maximum extent practicable, in selecting demonstration projects to participate in the demonstration initiative under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense shall— (1) ensure a range of technology types; (2) ensure regional diversity among projects; and (3) consider bulk power level, distribution power level, behind-the-meter, microgrid (grid-connected or islanded mode), and off-grid applications. (c) Joint Program.— (1) Establishment.—As part of the demonstration initiative under subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall establish within the Department of Defense a joint program to carry out projects— (A) to demonstrate promising long-duration energy storage technologies at different scales to promote energy resiliency; and (B) to help new, innovative long-duration energy storage technologies become commercially viable. (2) Memorandum of understanding.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Energy to administer the joint program. (3) Infrastructure.—In carrying out the joint program, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall— (A) use existing test-bed infrastructure at— (i) installations of the Department of Defense; and (ii) facilities of the Department of Energy; and (B) develop new infrastructure for identified projects, if appropriate. (4) Goals and metrics.—The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall develop goals and metrics for technological progress under the joint program consistent with energy resilience and energy security policies. (5) Selection of projects.— (A) In general.—To the maximum extent practicable, in selecting projects to participate in the joint program, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy may— (i) ensure that projects are carried out under conditions that represent a variety of environments with different physical conditions and market constraints; and (ii) ensure an appropriate balance of— (I) larger, operationally-scaled projects, adapting commercially-proven technology that meets military service defined requirements; and (II) smaller, lower-cost projects. (B) Priority.—In carrying out the joint program, the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy shall give priority to demonstration projects that— (i) make available to the public project information that will accelerate deployment of long-duration energy storage technologies that promote energy resiliency; and (ii) will be carried out as field demonstrations fully integrated into the installation grid at an operational scale.