Topic Area 3: Grid Innovation Program (40103b):
DOE is interested in both technical and non-technical approaches, that improve grid reliability
and resilience on a local, regional, and interregional scale. Innovative approaches can include
advanced technologies, innovative partnerships, financial arrangements, deployment of
projects identified by innovative planning and cost allocation approaches, and environmental
siting and permitting strategies. Applications may address the transmission system, the
distribution system, or both, and may include elements such as: distributed generation assets;
load point flexibility enhancements; energy storage systems and other flexibility enhancements;
technologies to increase the capacity of the transmission and distribution system; grid-edge
technologies; sensing, communications, and control technologies and approaches; grid-forming
power electronics; integrated system designs; projects with innovative financing and permitting
solutions; projects with uncommon or innovative regulatory structures, projects that are a
product of innovative planning, modeling, or cost-allocation approaches, and other similar
projects.
There is currently insufficient development of projects that are critical to reliability and
resilience of the grid, particularly in projects that would achieve the following outcomes for the
transmission system: 1) increasing transfer capacity between regions, 2) addressing the most
consequential system needs and challenges that cause or contribute to long and increasing
interconnection queue time for clean energy, and 3) increasing supply of a geographically and
technologically diverse sets of location-constrained energy resources to enhance resource
adequacy and reduce correlated generation outages. DOE is particularly interested in
applications that demonstrate innovative models, methods, technologies, or other ways to
achieve these outcomes that enable grid resilience and reliability. DOE is also interested in all
other eligible grid projects that support similar or greater public resilience and reliability
benefit.
Applications combining multiple approaches are encouraged, and all applications should
demonstrate how the proposed new, innovative approaches interact with each other and any
existing infrastructure to increase overall system resiliency. Hardening of assets and
infrastructure may be included but must show a clear contribution to overall system resiliency.
Project results should enable asset owners and operators to effectively articulate within local,
state, and Federal decision-making frameworks the economic, technical, and societal benefits
of new innovative approaches that improve system reliability and resilience. Applications that
invest in America’s workforce; advance energy and environmental justice and support the goals
of the Justice40 Initiative; engage in meaningful community and stakeholder engagement; and
advance diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility are of particular importance in this topic
area.
Objectives:
This program seeks to provide financial assistance to eligible entities (States, local governments,
Tribes, public utility commissions) to facilitate coordination and collaboration with electric sector
owners and operators to:
demonstrate innovative approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution
infrastructure to harden and enhance resilience and reliability; and
demonstrate new approaches to enhance regional grid resilience, implemented through
States by public and rural electric cooperative entities on a cost-shared basis.33
DOE is proposing to solicit projects that contribute significantly to one or more of the following
primary objectives:
Ensuring reliable grid operations by reducing the frequency, scale, and/or duration of
disruptions, , reducing capacity interconnection time, increasing regional and
interregional transfer capacity, or reducing costs associated with increased reliability.
Improving overall grid resilience in terms of avoiding, withstanding, responding to, and
recovering from disruptions, including deliberate attacks, accidents, the growing threats
of extreme weather events and climate change, and other naturally occurring threats or
incidents. Projects may demonstrate:
o Individual technologies and solutions (or multiple technologies and solutions
working as a system) that address resilience in one part of the power system (e.g.,
transmission system).
o Technologies and solutions that address resilience across the traditional
boundaries in the power system (e.g., between transmission and distribution).
Enhancing collaboration between and among eligible entities and private and public
sector owners and operators on grid resilience, including in alignment with regional
resilience strategies and plans. This includes collaboration across state and other
territorial boundaries such as grid operators or other balancing authorities, with a
particular focus on innovating planning processes, modeling, cost allocation, permitting,
reduction of interconnection queue waiting time, inter-regional projects and other
activities aided by collaborative approaches. and.
Contributing to the decarbonization of the electricity and broader energy system in a way
that supports system resilience, reliability, and affordability by improving access to
technologically and geographically diverse energy resources, including distributed energy
resources and electrification opportunities.
Providing enhanced system value, improving current and future system costeffectiveness,
and delivering economic benefits to community members,
underrepresented regions, or other stakeholders. Applications should clearly identify
their value proposition for each individual stakeholder group.
Project results should enable asset owners and operators to effectively articulate within local,
state, regional and federal decision-making frameworks the economic, technical, and societal
benefits of deploying new innovative technologies that improve system reliability and resilience.
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