As part of the Energy Department’s commitment to a strong and secure power grid, DOE announced new funding to strengthen protection of the nation’s electric grid from natural and manmade hazards on September 28, 2016. More than $1.5 million will ca...
September 28, 2016
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Transformers are fundamental to the nation's power grid with essentially all electricity generated and delivered flowing through at least one. These transformers change the voltage of electric power, increasing it to transmit electricity more efficiently over long distances and decreasing it to a safe level for final delivery to end users. Large Power Transformers (LPTs) generally have a power rating of 100 megavolt-amperes (MVA) or higher, enough to supply more than 50,000 homes, and represents one of the grids' most vulnerable components. LPTs can weigh hundreds of tons, are expensive, and are typically custom-made with procurement lead times of one year or more. Since LPTs are generally tailored to customer specifications, they are not readily interchangeable with each other, and their high costs prohibit extensive spare inventories. This vulnerability is compounded by the fact that many LPTs are approaching or exceeding their design lives.
Today, at the Center for American Progress, U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz announced more than $1.5 million in new funding to allow corporations, small businesses, and academic institutions in Georgia, Illinois, New York and North Carolina to create new designs that will help produce the next generation of LPTs.
“Large power transformers are grid components that are ripe for innovation,” said Secretary Moniz. “Today’s announcement stimulates innovative LPT designs that are more flexible and adaptable. These designs will increase the ability to share transformers and accelerate recovery in the event of the loss of one or more of these vital pieces of equipment.”
The funding is supported through the Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability’s Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) program. The TRAC program accelerates modernization of the grid by addressing challenges with LPTs and other critical grid components.
The TRAC program is a part of DOE’s larger Grid Modernization Initiative. GMI represents a DOE-wide collaboration, with primary funding support coming from the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis providing policy recommendations. DOE National Laboratories are participating across GMI’s technology areas in a coordinated strategic partnership called the Grid Modernization Lab Consortium (GMLC).
As the grid evolves to enable a more resilient and clean energy future, research and development (R&D) and testing are needed to understand the physical impact these changes have on LPTs and other equipment, and to encourage the adoption of new technologies and approaches. A detailed list of the “Next Generation Transformers – Flexible Designs” award selections is available here.
For more information about DOE’s efforts to ensure a resilient, reliable, and flexible electricity system, visit Energy.gov.
Patricia A. Hoffman
Acting Assistant Secretary, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity
Former Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Ms. Patricia A. Hoffman also served as Acting Under Secretary for Science and Energy from January 2017 until November 2017 when the U.S. Senate confirmed Mark Menezes as Under Secretary of Energy. Ms. Hoffman served as Acting Assistant Secretary for OE from January 2017 until October 2017 when the OE Assistant Secretary was confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Hoffman was named Assistant Secretary for OE from June 2010 to January 2017, after serving as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since November 2007. The focus of her responsibility was to provide leadership on a national level to modernize the electric grid, enhance the security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply both domestically and internationally. This is critical to meeting the Nation’s growing demand for reliable electricity by overcoming the challenges of our Nation’s aging electricity transmission and distribution system and addressing the vulnerabilities in our energy supply chain.
Prior to her this position, Ms. Hoffman served in a dual capacity as Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS) for Research and Development (R&D) and Chief Operating Officer (COO) within OE. During her tenure as the DAS for R&D, she developed the long-term research strategy and improved the management portfolio of research programs for modernizing and improving the resiliency of the electric grid. This included developing and implementing sensors and operational tools for wide-area monitoring, energy storage research and demonstration, and the development of advanced conductors to increase the capacity and flexibility of the grid. She also initiated a new research effort focused on integrating and distributing renewable energy through the electric grid, such as promoting plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and implementing smart grid technologies to maintain system reliability. As COO, she managed the OE business operations, including human resources, budget development, financial execution, and performance management.
Prior to joining OE, she was the Program Manager for the Federal Energy Management Program within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. This program guides the Federal government to “lead by example” promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy, and smart energy management. Complementing her building energy efficiency experience, she also was the Program Manager for the Distributed Energy Program, which conducted research on advanced natural gas power generation and combined heat and power systems. Her accomplishments included the successful completion of the Advanced Turbine System program resulting in a high-efficiency industrial gas turbine power generation product.
Ms. Hoffman holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.