Opens $2 million funding opportunity for universities, non-profits, and industry to leverage existing solutions to grid resilience planning challenges.
January 4, 2024
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Opens $2 million funding opportunity for universities, non-profits, and industry to leverage existing solutions to grid resilience planning challenges.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today the Grid Deployment Office released the Grid Resilience Technical Assistance Consortium funding opportunity to provide technical assistance for grid resilience planning and decision-making to accelerate analysis of regional climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure. The initial grant opportunity of up to $2 million announced today will support the formation of regional consortium made up of universities, non-profits, and industry organizations that will enable Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant recipients to leverage existing models, tools, and methodologies that would allow rapid decision-making to prioritize investments for impactful community benefits.
“Keeping the lights on for communities across the country is a primary goal of the Grid Deployment Office,” said Maria Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, U.S. Department of Energy. “GDO provides multiple financial mechanisms and investment programs to support state efforts, but this is not always enough. Each geographic region is different, with varying climate impact needs and grid resilience goals. This program will allow states to leverage existing tools, methods, and processes to help identify a solution that works for their individual region, while providing the highest level of community benefits.”
The primary role of the Grid Resilience Technical Assistance Consortium will be to accelerate analysis of climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure, describe best practices for grid operations and investments, and provide additional information and analysis to state energy officials, public service commissions, and utilities to aid in grid resilience planning and decision-making. GDO will further evaluate and prioritize applications to ensure that existing solutions support state energy officials, public service commissions, Tribal entities or utilities in grid resilience planning and decision-making that relates to understanding climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure.
Grid resilience planning and technical support provided through this program will be especially beneficial to states, territories, and Tribal entities receiving Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants. Specific resilience analysis could include risk and vulnerability assessment, resilience strategy tradeoffs, and investment prioritization and decision-making using commercially available tools.
GDO will select applicants to form the regional consortium. The consortium performers are expected to collaborate in the development of deliverables that may include recommendations on how climate impacts should impact engineering standards and approaches used by grid operators. GDO anticipates selecting multiple organizations to participate in a regional consortium based upon the applications submitted.
GDO expects to fund one regional-focused consortium of universities, non-profits, and industry organizations over an initial one-year performance period. The models, tools, and methodologies proposed in the analysis should be capable of implementation and use within the one-year initial period of performance and should be adaptable to meet milestones developed in collaboration with GDO and a Technical Advisory Group made up of anticipated stakeholders.
The funding opportunity is managed by EnergyWerx, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement (PIA) set up by the DOE's Office of Technology Transitions (OTT). This agreement enables EnergyWerx to broaden DOE’s engagement with innovative organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of clean energy solutions.
The deadline for applications for potential consortium members closes at 5:00 p.m. ET on February 15, 2024.
Interested parties should attend the Objective Strategic Session on at 3:30 p.m. ET on January 10, 2024, and/or funding opportunity Office Hours at 3:30 p.m. ET on February 7, 2024.
Learn more about the Grid Deployment Office.