Department of Energy to invest $40M in grid modernization

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) allocated $40 million in funding for the Grid Modernization Initiative (GMI), which focuses on developing new tools and technologies to help create the grid of the future.

This initiative shows the department’s commitment to modernize the nation’s grid and ensure that it remains resilient, reliable and secure.

“A reliable and resilient grid is essential to our nation’s economic and national security,” Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes said. “Through this funding, and with the support of our National Labs and private sector partners, we will establish a grid that will withstand the tests and challenges of the future, while ensuring that Americans continue to enjoy the benefits of our amazing energy abundance.”

The funding for FY19 will be committed to the Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium (GMLC) to collaborate with industry to build core competencies for the future. More details will be released by March, but the topic areas will include resilience modeling; advanced sensors; energy storage; cybersecurity; and institutional support.

The DOE announced the investment at the Innovation XLab Grid Modernization Summit in Seattle last week. The purpose of the Innovation Summit is to build strong partnerships between national laboratories and private industry in a variety of areas, including grid modernization and energy storage.