Jerrod KingeryThe U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) has released three notices of funding opportunity (NOFOs) for programs to support research and development of groundbreaking electricity grid technologies.
These NOFOs, totaling $18.4 million, will fund research to lower HVDC circuit breaker costs, enhance grid risk assessment and communication and prepare communities for unexpected energy storage failures.
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OE says upgrading systems will extend grid component life, enhance electricity transmission and improve failure prediction. In addition, clear risk communication aids in preventing cascading failures, while preparing communities to manage energy storage systems ensures safe technology deployment.
The three funding opportunities include:
- $8 million for the Renewable Integration Management with Innovative High-Voltage Direct Current Power Circuit Breakers (REIMAGINE BREAKERS): OE is providing $7 million, and the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) is providing $1 million to this joint funding opportunity to support research and development related to HVDC power circuit breakers. HVDC technology can increase the grid’s capacity to receive, transmit and deliver a large amount of energy from generation sources like wind more efficiently and reliably compared to today’s existing solutions. This NOFO aims to support grid modernization as well as the advancement of wind energy by reducing the cost of high-voltage circuit breaker technology. The deadline to apply is Feb. 28, 2025.
- $6.25 million for the Human-Centric Analytics for Resilient & Modernized Power sYstems (HARMONY): OE says this NOFO is intended to improve risk assessment and communication for grid operators. With transformations to grid usage, like the integration of EV charging and renewable energy, long-standing assumptions about power system operations are changing. That is leading to gaps in assessing and resolving uncertainties in power grids. This NOFO will fund programs to develop more advanced analytics to help grid operators to predict, prevent and mitigate cascading failures in power grids. Concept papers are due Jan. 27, 2025, and full applications are due March 20, 2025.
- $4.125 million for the Blue Sky Training Program: This program will train first responders, law enforcement agencies, local communities, utilities, authorities having jurisdictions and others on how to respond to unanticipated failures of energy storage systems. This NOFO will create planning exercises and boots-on-the-ground drills to outline the roles and responsibilities of these stakeholders to ensure the safety of the community, personnel and infrastructure. The deadline to apply is Feb. 2, 2025.
“These opportunities address different aspects of the electricity grid, but when added together, they will ensure an electricity grid that is more resilient, reliable, secure, and affordable for the American people,” said Gene Rodrigues, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity. “Predicting and preventing power outages, keeping communities safe where energy storage is in use, and looking for more cost-effective grid equipment will benefit all consumers by bolstering reliability and improving affordability for the long run.”
Image by Erich Wirz from Pixabay
