The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced its intent to issue multiple funding opportunity announcements totaling over $100 million for field demonstrations and other research to support better planning and operation of the electric grid.
This investment will fund field demonstrations and other research to support better planning and operation of distributed energy systems. It will also help optimize systems with grid-connected buildings and vehicles powered by clean, distributed energy generation and show these advanced technologies are reliable, secure, and ready to support a clean energy economy for all Americans.
"The U.S. electric grid is moving from a system where power flows only from big generators to end users, to one that is bidirectional, enabling a two-way flow of electricity from end user to the grid and back. Technologies such as rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and storage can increase grid resiliency but also add complexity and new challenges to the system," DOE said.
The projects selected under the FOAs "will strengthen the integration of these resources, support grid planning and operation, and enable the widespread and equitable deployment of these technologies," it said.
The anticipated FOAs include:
- Connected Communities 2.0, which will leverage foundational approaches from existing Connected Communities projects to advance solutions for the grid edge—where electricity distribution transitions between the utility and the customer—at community scale, integrating buildings and transportation, community renewables, and storage technologies.
- Solar Technologies’ Rapid Integration and Validation for Energy Systems, to develop and demonstrate technology and market tools for better integration of distributed energy resources including solar, wind, and energy storage.
- SuperTruck Charge, which will address the challenges associated with vehicles-to-grid integration and large-scale charging installations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
For more information, read the full notice of intent.
