Power

DOE announces $40 million investment for grid improvements

DOE grid investment

The Department of Energy announced today an investment of more than $40 million to improve the current state of the nation’s grid; improvements will concentrate on storage systems developments, as well as manufacture and innovation.

Firstly, the Department will invest $20 million for Research and Development (R&D) in the advancement of mid-size flow battery systems; as they will allow the U.S. to store and dispatch clean energy from renewable sources on a grid-scale.

Secondly, DOE will invest the remaining $20 million; in fact, $24,5 million to support domestic manufacturing, and American-made technologies to modernize the grid; also, to expand it and make it more resilient.

Thirdly, both of these investments intend to bring the U.S. one step closer to its energy transition goals, which is net-zero by 2050; also, to expand the importance of renewable energy sources, as well as to deliver affordable energy to disadvantaged communities.

On the one hand, for the flow battery technologies, DOE seeks proposals for collaborative, multi-stage R&D projects that improve manufacturing processes for individual flow battery components; also, projects than integrate those new components into a mid-sized capacity for grid, industrial and transportation applications.

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Solid grid would push the U.S. further into its net-zero goal

On the other hand, the manufacturing investment will include technologies capable of lowering costs and be delivered to the market. One special approach are conductivity-enhanced materials that could be commercialized in affordable ways.

“Conductivity-enhanced materials can help address the climate emergency by easing the addition of renewable resources; and also, electric cars to the grid, maximizing next-generation energy storage technologies; supporting efficiency in electricity-intensive sectors like transportation and manufacturing.” The statement reads.

Moreover, DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, through its Advanced Manufacturing Office will provide the funding opportunities. Additionally, DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE) will support testing for selected projects at facilities like the Grid Storage Launchpad, at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory.

Finally, Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm, said. “These funding opportunities will help manufacture the next-generation energy storage systems and power lines that support President Biden’s climate goals; also, they’ll create and sustain U.S. jobs, and build a strong, secure, and efficient electric grid.”

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