Advancing GETs Act

Summary#

This bill would require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the Commission) to create a shared savings incentive for "grid-enhancing technology" (GETs). The incentive must return a fixed percentage of savings from an investment in GETs to the developer (the entity that pays to install the GETs). The Commission must set the percentage between 10 percent and 25 percent, apply it the same way for all eligible GET investments, and return the payments over 3 years. An investment is eligible only if the Commission finds the expected savings over 3 years are at least four times the investment cost. The incentive cannot apply to GETs already installed when the law takes effect. The Commission must issue the final rule within 18 months and later evaluate the program 7–10 years after it starts, with public comment and consideration of how the incentive aligns with the Commission's Order No. 1920.

The bill also requires annual congestion-cost reporting by all operators of transmission facilities or technologies. Reports must include data on costs tied to congestion, identify constraints that caused more than $500,000 in costs (including cause and the next limiting element), and list constraints addressed by planned upgrades. The Commission must set a universal metric and reporting protocol within 18 months. The Commission and the Secretary of Energy must use the data for analyses, jointly create and annually update a public map of congestion-management costs, and publish the data and map on their websites.

Finally, the Secretary of Energy must create an application guide for utilities and developers to implement GETs within 18 months, update it yearly, offer technical assistance on request, and maintain a clearinghouse of completed GET projects. The bill authorizes specific appropriations for this DOE work.

What it means for you#

• Developers who pay to install eligible GETs could receive a portion of measured savings back over 3 years if their projects meet the minimum savings test.
• Transmission operators must begin annual reporting on congestion costs and constraints, using a common metric defined by the Commission.
• The Department of Energy will provide a public application guide, a project clearinghouse, and on-request technical help for implementing GETs.
• Data and an interactive map of congestion costs will be publicly available on the Commission and DOE websites.

Expenses#

• The bill authorizes $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and $1,000,000 for each fiscal year 2026 through 2036 for the DOE application guide, clearinghouse, and technical assistance.
• The bill requires the Commission to return a portion of savings from GET investments to developers, but it does not provide a federal cost estimate or say how those shared-savings returns will affect utility finances or federal budgets. No publicly available information on overall fiscal impact beyond the DOE appropriations.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describing proponents' statements or arguments.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text or metadata describing opponents' statements or arguments.