Grid modernization funding initiative announced

The Energy Department's Grid Modernization Initiative includes an award of up to $220 million over three years to support critical research and development.

By Department of Energy January 16, 2016

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz announced the release of a Grid Modernization Multi-Year Program Plan, which is designed as a blueprint for modernizing the grid. The Secretary also announced the award of up to $220 million over three years, subject to congressional appropriations, to the DOE’s National Labs and partners to support critical research and development.

"Modernizing the U.S. electrical grid is essential to reducing carbon emissions, creating safeguards against attacks on our infrastructure, and keeping the lights on," said Secretary Moniz. "This public-private partnership between our National Laboratories, industry, academia, and state and local government agencies will help us further strengthen our ongoing efforts to improve our electrical infrastructure so that it is prepared to respond to the nation’s energy needs for decades to come."

The Grid Modernization Initiative is part of a comprehensive DOE effort to shape the future of the nation’s energy grid. It is also designed to solve the challenges of integrating conventional and renewable sources with energy storage and smart buildings, while ensuring that the grid is resilient and secure to withstand growing cyber security and climate challenges.

The Grid Modernization Multi-Year Program program lays out a blueprint for the Department’s research, development, and demonstration agenda to enable a modernized grid, building on concepts and recommendations from DOE’s recently released Quadrennial Energy Review and Quadrennial Technology Review.

Up to $220 million in research and development funding falls under the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium. The consortium involves 14 DOE National Laboratories and dozens of industry, academia, and state and local government agency partners across the country. These funds are being awarded in response to a challenge to the National Laboratories to establish a comprehensive grid-related research and development effort to address a range of emerging challenges and opportunities in the nation’s power grid.

U.S. Department of Energy

www.energy.gov 

– Edited from a Department of Energy press release by Erin Dunne, production coordinator, Control Engineering, CFE Media, edunne@cfemedia.com.

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