The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced up to $7 million to advance the design of microgrid technologies, intended to help communities become more prepared for power outages caused by severe weather and other events.
“Improving the resiliency of the electric grid is essential to moving the nation towards a cleaner and more secure and efficient energy future,” said Assistant Secretary for Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Patricia Hoffman. “Developing more advanced microgrid systems will help communities build stronger and smarter so they are better prepared for the effects of a changing climate. This funding is another important step in our drive to partner with communities, developers, and utilities in this area of critical importance.”
The “Microgrid Research, Development, and System Design” Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) supports the goal of “building stronger and safer communities and infrastructure” as set forth in President Obama’s Climate Action Plan and supports implementation of Executive Order 13653 by making climate-resilient investments in states, local communities, and tribes. The FOA targets teams of communities, technology developers and providers, and utilities to develop advanced microgrid controllers and system designs that will help communities take an innovative and comprehensive approach to microgrid design and implementation. Each applicant will be required to work with an entity or community to design microgrid systems of <10 MW, which is enough to power a small community. Additionally, applicants will be encouraged to design systems that protect critical infrastructure such as hospitals and water treatment plants.
The Microgrid Research, Development, and System Design FOA, which is available at Grants.gov and FedConnect.net, provides additional information, including cost-sharing requirements for government-industry cooperation. The deadline for submitting applications is April 28, 2014.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
