Energy Department Offering Funding For Solar Resiliency Research

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced up to $46 million in research funding to improve the resiliency of solar generation.

The funding is in support of developing holistic solutions that can provide grid operators with situational awareness and mitigation strategies against cyber and physical threats. With more and more solar generation coming online every day, grid operators need tools and technologies to ensure that the electric grid is resilient and that energy services are delivered to critical infrastructure, the DOE says.

The projects will develop and validate control strategies, real-time system monitoring, communications, and other technologies to make solar power at the bulk power and distribution levels more resilient.

Approximately 10 projects, varying from $2 million to $10 million in size, will be funded over three years. Applicants are encouraged to work with critical infrastructure owners and operators, notes the agency.