Adam RollinsTexas is set to receive funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in the form of a $3.5 billion program. The program includes four projects aimed at strengthening the state’s energy infrastructure and providing clean, affordable power to disadvantaged communities.
This funding is part of the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) program, which has been allocated a historic investment of $10.5 billion. The GRIP program is focused on enhancing grid resilience and flexibility, as well as ensuring consistent access to clean, affordable electricity in the face of increasing threats from extreme weather and climate change.
The projects in Texas include:
- Wildfire Mitigation: An energy company will receive $100 million to undertake seven wildfire mitigation projects across three states, including Texas. These projects involve fire-resistant coatings for wood poles, non-expulsion fuses, wildfire safety settings, underground high-risk circuits, tree clearing, wind strength testing, and fire spread modeling. Additionally, the project includes an off-the-grid power facility and an electric vehicle (EV) charging program for wildfire first responders.
- Advanced Power Flow Control: A power and utilities company will receive $42.9 million to deploy advanced power flow control technologies to increase grid efficiency and resiliency, unlocking additional transfer capacity on existing transmission lines.
- Solar and Battery-Based Microgrids: San Antonio’s municipal energy company, CPS Energy, will receive $30.2 million to construct solar- and battery-based microgrids. Smart grid technologies will also be deployed to enhance the distribution system.
- Enhancing Grid Visibility and Management: An electric energy company will receive $27.8 million to deploy two management systems that increase grid visibility and control, supporting fault location, distribution operations training simulations, and distributed energy resources.
