Department of Energy doles out $42M for 15 grid reliability, resilience and flexibility projects
As a way to modernize the electric grid, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded $42 million last week for 15 projects working to improve reliability, resilience, and flexibility nationwide through the development of new semiconductor technologies.
Spanning 11 states, these efforts could allow for more effective control of grid power flow and improved protection for critical infrastructure.
“Modernizing our nation’s aging power grid is critical to strengthening our national and energy security, and absolutely essential to reaching President Biden’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said. “This new investment will support project teams across the country as they develop the innovative technologies we need to strengthen our grid security and bring reliable clean electricity to more families and businesses—all while combatting the climate crisis.”
The lowest single award went to the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, at $2.24 million, for an integrated module with wide-bandgap power devices including optical control and sensing. Amounts ranged up to a max of more than $3.17 million, though, as in the case of Opcondys, a California-based startup focused on creating a light-controlled grid protection device capable of suppressing sudden, destructive surges on the grid. Semiconductor switching devices, diamond semiconductor transistors and more were among efforts targeted with this funding.
Money for these projects came from DOE’s Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advances by Faster Actuation of power Semiconductor Technologies (ULTRAFAST) program. Efforts will be managed by DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
