News

May 01, 2023

Biden

Selected Projects Across 13 States and Puerto Rico Will Demonstrate How Solar,

Selected Projects Across 13 States and Puerto Rico Will Demonstrate How Solar, Wind, and Storage Can Protect and Strengthen America's Power Grid

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced $26 million for eight selected projects to demonstrate how solar, wind, storage, and other clean energy resources can support a reliable and efficient U.S. power grid. Funded by the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the projects will deploy innovative clean energy technologies at 15 sites across the country to build and support a resilient grid that automatically adjusts to changing demands—providing Americans everywhere peace of mind in the event of interruptions to the power grid. The projects announced today support the Biden-Harris Administration's historic efforts to accelerate the development of a decarbonized grid, expand the adoption of affordable clean energy, and strengthen America's energy security while combatting the climate crisis.

"As threats and climate risks to America's energy infrastructure continue to evolve, DOE is laser-focused on ensuring our power grid is strong and reliable as it incorporates a historic level of renewable resources," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. "Thanks to President Biden's Investing in America agenda, today's announcement will help build a resilient grid that the American people can trust to deliver reliable, affordable, clean electricity to their homes and businesses."

The Solar and Wind Grid Services and Reliability Demonstration program will fund eight projects at 15 sites in 13 states and Puerto Rico. Research teams consisting of utilities, laboratories, universities, and industry will test how wind and solar plants can more reliably transmit clean energy and protect against disruptions to the network of high-voltage power lines that carry electricity from centralized generation sources, known as the bulk power system. The projects will also monitor and test controls that allow the grid to restore power quickly and efficiently after blackouts so that it can continue to supply energy to communities nationwide.

DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that wind and solar energy could provide as much as 80% of generation on a grid run on 100% clean electricity. By helping build a modern, clean electric grid, these projects support the President's vision of an equitable clean energy future and are critical to achieving the Administration's ambitious goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The selected projects are:

DOE has long invested in research in grid services and forward-looking technologies like grid-forming inverters and generators; those new capabilities need to be demonstrated at a broader scale to increase their adoption and build trust as grid operators face growing challenges to ensure reliable electric supply as the power grid incorporates cleaner energy resources. Learn more about the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office.

This announcement is part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, which is growing the American economy from the bottom up and middle-out – from rebuilding our nation's infrastructure, to driving over $435 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States, to creating good paying jobs and building a clean-energy economy that will combat climate change and make our communities more resilient.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.