DOE launches $26M in demonstration project funding to showcase renewable energy capabilities

Through funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced this week that $26 million will go toward projects that demonstrate the electric grid can run on a fully renewable mix, from solar, to wind, energy storage, and more.

Known as the Solar and Wind Grid Services and Reliability Demonstration Program, participants will provide data to back the capabilities of clean electricity and, in particular, offer a look at the development and testing of tools and plant functions by clean energy resources that will allow the grid to maintain and restart, if necessary.

While the U.S. grid was originally built to deliver power from a small number of large fossil fuel power plants, that grid has changed in recent decades to incorporate a mix of traditional and renewable energy sources. President Joe Biden has advocated for a 100 percent clean electricity system by 2030, and these demonstrations would work in part to alleviate any concerns over potential reliability hits this would bring to the grid.

“Americans do not have to choose between a clean grid and a reliable one as we move forward towards our goals of a net-zero economy by 2050,” U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “Thanks to funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, DOE is proving that transitioning to solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources can keep the lights on without service interruptions while creating good paying jobs.”

Up to 10 projects could be funded by DOE as part of the program, from a potential mix of academic institutions, private companies, nonprofits, state and local governments, and Tribes. Those interested would need to test at plants at least 10 MW in size, with a mix of solar, wind, or other generation/storage technologies. They will need to demonstrate how a clean energy grid defies blackouts with speedy identification and responds to faults.