OE Grid Galaxy - September Edition
Office of Electricity
DOE’s Office of Electricity works with the public & private sectors to modernize U.S. critical electric infrastructure.
This month, I have some exciting news to share: We’ve selected Gil Bindewald III as the Office of Electricity’s (OE) permanent Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. His appointment is another critical step to staff every position with the absolute best talent—and the absolute best people—our country has to offer. Gil is a tested and proven leader who embraces the Office of Electricity’s vital mission of ensuring the reliability, resilience, security, and affordability of the nation’s power grid for the American people. I look forward to working side-by-side with Gil in the years to come to fulfill our mission.
We stand at the edge of a transformative time, propelled by our achievements in Grid Controls and Communications, Grid Systems and Components, and Energy Storage. That’s why, in anticipation of World Energy Storage Day, our team launched a communications campaign to highlight our divisions and how they work in tandem to develop a 21st-century grid that benefits all Americans. The journey toward a stable grid seamlessly integrated with diverse sources of electricity is now more promising than ever. Follow our social media pages, and visit our homepage to learn more about the vital work done by OE’s divisions and help us celebrate World Energy Storage Day on September 22!
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Headline Stories
OE Division Spotlight Campaign
Have you seen our division spotlight campaign that highlights our initiatives leading up to World Energy Storage Day on September 22? Tune in to our homepage and social media accounts for a new blog each week from our Deputy Assistant Secretaries. These blogs explore our work to provide access to reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity for all Americans.
We make strategic investments across the entire transmission and distribution system, encompassing everything from bulk generation to end-users. This includes physical infrastructure technologies, such as power electronics, transmission lines, and substations to facilitate efficient power transfer across the network. Join us in celebrating our great work!
Read Our Blog Series Celebrating OE’s Divisions: Lighting the Way at OE
To kick off OE’s campaign highlighting each division, Gil Bindewald introduces the Grid Controls and Communications Division mission. He highlights how his team is on the cutting edge of research to ensure our grid can operate reliably, affordably, and securely. He also explains how his team works in tandem with other OE divisions to achieve OE’s mission.
OE at Advanced Grid Institute's Industry Day
How are we moving to the grid of the future? Microgrids play a key role. In fact, by 2035, microgrids are envisioned as essential building blocks of the future electricity delivery system to support resilience, decarbonization, and affordability. Michael Pesin, Deputy Assistant Secretary for OE’s Grid Systems and Components Division, recently took the stage to deliver the keynote address at the Advanced Grid Institute's Industry Day at Washington State University. He discussed what OE is doing to modernize America's grid through R&D and microgrid implementation.
NASEO and NARUC Release Microgrid Framework for States
The National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), with support from OE, released an August 2023 report: State Microgrid Policy, Programmatic, and Regulatory Framework.
The NASEO-NARUC Microgrids State Working Group facilitated the report. The group released it as a resource for public utility commissions and State Energy Offices as they develop policies, regulations, and programs to deploy microgrids for resilience, clean energy, and other objectives. View an online interactive version of the framework. Please contact Kelsey Jones (kjones@naseo.org) with any questions.
OE Initiatives
Rapid Operational Validation Initiative Resource Library
The Rapid Operational Validation Initiative (ROVI) addresses critical gaps in data to evaluate energy storage, such as the lack of access to large and uniform performance data sets that accelerate the pace of technology development. ROVI’s overall focus is to accelerate the time from lab to market for new energy storage technologies via data-driven tools to predict their operational lifetimes.
Learn how OE plans to accomplish ROVI through a wide range of data inputs (e.g., cell level tests, module testing, and complete systems) and integrating them into a standardized format across technology types and scales.
ROVI will employ innovative data science methods to leverage large sets of energy storage performance data to facilitate generating lifetime performance predictions for new technologies.
American-Made High-Voltage Direct Current Prize Announces Four Winners
Last week, OE announced four winners of the American-Made High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Prize. This $200,000 prize—$50,000 to each team—incentivized competitors to share new technology solutions to improve the U.S. grid’s performance and resilience. The knowledge gained from these prizes will help reduce technology gaps that hinder HVDC deployment. It will also enable new innovative solutions to technical challenges through new hardware, controls, and advanced concepts.
In Case You Missed It
DOE to Fund Research to Reduce Costs of HVDC Transmission
DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) and OE plan to fund research to drive innovation and reduce costs of HVDC voltage source converter transmission systems.
This investment is intended to enable future grid upgrades to cost-effectively integrate an increasing amount of renewable energy generation onto the grid, both onshore and offshore. It is also the first action taken to support DOE’s HVDC COst REduction (CORE) Initiative, which aims to reduce the cost of HVDC systems by 35% by 2035 to promote widespread technology adoption.
Video: Revolutionizing Energy Storage to Deliver Clean Energy
OE’s Energy Storage program improves storage reliability, resilience, and safety for our nation’s future grid. We’re partnering with national labs, a diverse set of universities, and the energy community to reduce costs and increase the reliability of storage so that a grid powered by nearly 100% renewable energy can become a practical reality.
Watch to learn more about how we plan to shape what's next for your electricity grid. The future grid will need to accommodate growing supply volatility from intermittent resources and quickly evolving fuel infrastructures, as well as increased demand-side functionality with distributed energy resources and the electrification of transportation, buildings, and industry.
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DOE’s Office of Economic Impact and Diversity develops and executes Department-wide policies to implement applicable legislation and executive orders. These orders strengthen diversity and inclusion goals affecting equal employment opportunities, small and disadvantaged businesses, minority educational institutions, and historically under-represented communities.
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