U.S. Department of Energy Provides $65 Million for Connected Communities: Innovations To Manage Growing Building, Transportation, and Industrial Loads on the Grid

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At this time, the U.S. Division of Vitality (DOE) introduced as much as $65 million for Connected Communities 2.0, a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to drive innovation to handle rising constructing, transportation, and industrial electrical masses on the grid. This FOA seeks to validate grid-edge technology improvements in real-world conditions and supply new instruments for utilities, grid planners and operators, automakers and good cost administration service suppliers, and the communities they serve. This FOA accelerates progress towards the Biden–Harris Administration’s aim of a clear vitality financial system for all People by optimizing techniques with grid-connected buildings and electrical automobiles (EVs) powered by clear, distributed vitality era and demonstrating these superior applied sciences are dependable, environment friendly, safe, and prepared for wide-scale adoption.

This FOA has two main topical areas:

• Linked Communitiescentered on grid edge technical measures in buildings, trade, and transportation to arrange the electrical grid for these new masses, and enhance the client advantages and grid resilience.
• Good Cost Administrationcentered on numerous distinctive city, suburban, and rural use circumstances to construct confidence in it as an efficient strategy for electrical automobiles to offer flexibility and worth to the electrical grid.

Linked Communities 2.0 builds on successes and classes discovered from the primary cohort of Linked Communities, launched in 2020, and DOE’s authentic good neighborhoods in Georgia and Alabama. The primary Connected Communities projects centered on integration of distributed vitality sources to help a extra variable grid. The two.0 model goals to foster improvement of recent applied sciences to make sure that the grid is versatile, resilient, and sized accurately to accommodate rising masses from car charging, information facilities, and constructing and industrial electrification. Examples embrace managed EV charging, low-power home equipment, good panels, vitality storage, vitality effectivity, and rooftop photo voltaic, in addition to progressive distribution and grid planning methods.

“It is vital that we plan for a power system that is secure, efficient, and flexible using grid edge technologies,” stated Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Vitality Effectivity and Renewable Vitality.  “Connected Communities 2.0 will supercharge these efforts by forging innovations that can be replicated in communities across America while ensuring affordability, equity, and resilience.”

The Linked Communities 2.0 FOA helps progress in the direction of a decarbonized, equitable, and reasonably priced electrical energy system. The FOA has three essential objectives:

• Show how good and coordinated administration of EVs and different distributed vitality sources can collectively present grid help, cut back system prices, and encourage buyer adoption.
• Show approaches to good change administration, grid-edge technical measures, and progressive planning methods as legitimate strategies in the direction of proper sizing investments within the distribution system.
• Show approaches in the direction of improved resilience for communities, end-use clients, and the general grid.

To these ends, this FOA targets 4 areas for analysis, improvement, and demonstration:

• Discipline validation of grid-edge technical measures that cut back the required degree of funding into distribution infrastructure.
• Discipline validation of good cost administration for EVs that may be deployed at massive scale.
• Demonstration of elevated buyer advantages and grid resilience utilizing grid edge technical measures, each in entrance of and behind the meter.
• Knowledge assortment to evaluate system readiness for brand new masses.

This FOA incorporates most of the early classes discovered from the earlier Linked Communities cohort by soliciting tasks to create scalable options for grid planners and communities to realize decarbonization and electrification objectives. Attaining these objectives require minimizing impacts to the distribution grid, mitigating infrastructure improve wants, bettering buyer experiences, and strengthening effectivity and neighborhood resilience. The FOA priorities align with the Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative goals to make sure that no less than 40% of federal investments circulation to deprived communities, recognizing that these communities usually have entry to the least strong vitality infrastructure.

Integration is important to Linked Communities, and DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Office of Electricity are collaborating to help built-in vitality system planning with a community of know-how workplaces and trade companions. The Linked Communities 2.0 FOA is issued by EERE’s Building Technologies Office and Vehicle Technologies Office in collaboration with the Solar Energy Technologies Office, Industrial Efficiency and Decarbonization Officeand Geothermal Technologies Office.

This FOA is a part of EERE’s efforts to issue over $100 million for subject demonstrations and different analysis to help higher planning and operation of the electrical grid.

Required idea papers are due Aug. 20, 2024, at 5 p.m. E.Tand full functions are due Oct. 10, 2024, at 5 p.m. E.T.

To study extra, go to the FOA landing page and join an informational webinar on July 29, 2024.

Courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy