New U.S. DOE Report on Accelerating Deployment of Grid Options to Decrease Prices & Enhance Reliability

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DOE Releases New Report on Accelerating Deployment of Grid Options to Decrease Prices and Enhance Reliability

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Division of Power (DOE) as we speak introduced the discharge of its newest Pathways to Industrial Liftoff report, targeted on unleashing the potential of superior grid options. “Pathways to Industrial Liftoff: Revolutionary Grid Deployment,” marks the tenth installment within the Liftoff collection which launched in March 2023. This report demonstrates how commercially obtainable superior grid options—equivalent to superior conductors, dynamic line ranking, and vitality storage—can cheaply enhance the present grid’s capability to assist upwards of 20–100 GW peak demand development. These applied sciences would additionally enhance grid reliability, resilience, and affordability for shoppers. Close to-term deployment of commercially obtainable however underutilized superior grid options can considerably bolster the resilience of home vitality programs and assist the Biden-Harris Administration’s formidable objective of a net-zero emissions financial system by 2050.

“Nearly all of the nation’s transmission and distribution traces are drastically overdue for an improve, which is why President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is so crucial to convey the grid updated,” mentioned U.S Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE’s new Revolutionary Grid Deployment Liftoff report outlines the present instruments that may be deployed in lower than 5 years to modernize the nation’s energy sector making it safer and dependable to ship cheaper, cleaner energy to American shoppers.”

Key findings from the report embrace:

• Close to-term options can be found: A number of superior grid options are commercially obtainable as we speak that may assist utilities and regulators reply to grid pressures within the near-term—together with fast demand development, reliability and resilience priorities, and new vitality technology connections. These options embrace superior transmission (e.g., superior conductors) and grid enhancing applied sciences (e.g., dynamic line ranking, superior energy stream management, vitality storage) in addition to system automation and situational consciousness options (e.g., superior distribution administration programs, distributed vitality useful resource administration programs). These options can function a bridge whereas critically wanted new grid infrastructure capability continues to be constructed out long-term.
• The present grid has untapped worth: Deploying these applied sciences might enhance the capability of the present grid to assist 20–100 GW of incremental peak demand when put in individually, whereas bettering system reliability, resilience, and affordability. This capability influence is on the order of magnitude of the 91 GW of peak demand development that North American Electrical Reliability Company (NERC) initiatives for the subsequent decade (as of December 2023).
• Options are low price and fast to deploy: Most of those options are lower than 1 / 4 of the price of standard alternate options and may be comparatively fast to deploy since they make use of current infrastructure.
• Liftoff inside three to 5 years is feasible: Liftoff will occur when utilities and regulators comprehensively worth and combine superior options as a part of core grid funding, planning, and operations. Pursuing 6-12 massive operational, “no regrets” deployments throughout a various set of utility contexts can derisk adoption at scale and construct repeatable operational and funding fashions. Deployments may very well be achieved with out growing prices to family ratepayers.

Biden-Harris Administration’s Dedication to Strengthening the Nation’s Transmission and Distribution Grid

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has introduced over $13.1 billion to the nation’s transmission and distribution grid. Due to this transformative funding, DOE is investing within the deployment of many superior applied sciences recognized within the Liftoff report by means of the Grid Deployment Workplace’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, a $10.5 billion grant program that’s enhancing grid flexibility and bettering the resilience of the facility system. On October 23, 2023, DOE introduced the primary spherical of GRIP funding that totaled almost $3.5 billion and is supporting 58 initiatives in 44 states throughout the USA. This funding represents the federal authorities’s largest single direct funding in crucial grid infrastructure and catalyzes greater than $8 billion complete in private and non-private investments. In the course of the first spherical of GRIP funding, DOE chosen twelve initiatives that embrace funding in grid-enhancing applied sciences (GETs) like dynamic line ranking (DLR) or distributed vitality useful resource administration (DERMS).

A second GRIP funding alternative is concentrated on creating complete options that hyperlink grid communications programs and operations to extend resilience and scale back energy outages and threats and deploying superior applied sciences equivalent to distributed vitality assets and battery programs to offer important grid providers. These initiatives will leverage each private and non-private capital to finally de-risk environment friendly and equitable deployment and catalyze future personal funding of superior grid options, accelerating the timeline to reaching integration at pace and scale.

DOE develops its Pathways to Industrial Liftoff reviews with in depth stakeholder engagement and system modeling. Further reviews shall be added within the coming months. Discover out extra details about the reviews right here. DOE continues to encourage public enter and stakeholder engagement for its liftoff reviews by means of business boards and through electronic mail to liftoff@hq.doe.gov.

Be taught extra about funding applications to assist superior grid options deployments at DOE’s Grid Deployment Workplace and Mortgage Packages Workplace. Moreover, technical help assets can be found to assist grid stakeholders throughout a spread of subjects, together with the State Technical Help and Grid Resilience Help applications.

On Might 13^th, 2024, DOE will host a webinar that includes senior DOE leaders to discover the “Pathways to Industrial Liftoff: Revolutionary Grid Deployment” report. Please register right here.