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October 2023

These are truly exciting days in the storage field! America’s 21st-century power grid will integrate increasingly diverse sources of electricity, including greater amounts of inverter-based resources, and that creates tremendous opportunities for advancements in the performance and affordability of long duration energy storage technologies. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity (OE) is at the forefront of catalyzing groundbreaking advancements and promoting innovation in this field. We commemorated World Energy Storage Day last month by showcasing a series of informative and insightful blogs from distinguished leaders in OE’s divisions. I take immense pride in the indispensable roles each division plays in upholding the reliability, resilience, and security of the American power grid. Through tireless efforts in research, development, and large-scale demonstrations, we're pushing the boundaries of grid-scale, long-duration energy storage technologies. This month's newsletter includes a recap of those communications, along with convenient links to the posts from our division heads. Our team is also leading the way in promoting greater understanding of the value proposition offered by High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)-related technologies. We recently featured a blog by OE Program Manager, Andre Pereira, shedding light on the substantial advantages of HVDC transmission over traditional alternating current lines. Notably, HVDC boasts greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness while allowing energy producers to transmit power over long distances. Widespread adoption of this technology has the potential to translate into reduced monthly electric bills—and greater reliability and resilience of the power grid—for the benefit of all Americans. I invite you to read Andre’s insightful blog, linked below. Additionally, you will find details about an exciting $10 million funding opportunity announcement, spearheaded by OE in collaboration with our partners in the Wind Energy Technologies Office. It is aimed at fostering innovation and driving down the cost of HVDC voltage source converter transmission systems. I continue to be grateful to our stakeholders for the generous insight and support you provide to join us in our collaborative efforts to develop the 21st-century power grid our nation deserves. In partnership,

Gene Rodrigues, Assistant Secretary
U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Electricity

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In This Edition:

• Headline Stories
• OE Initiatives
• In Case You Missed It
• Fun Fact

Headline Stories

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month

OE’s Grid Controls and Communications Division manages research, development, and demonstration programs to modernize the Nation’s electricity delivery system including secure communications, controls, and protection systems. The Nation’s electric grid is a lifeline infrastructure—the security of American lives depends on the safe and reliable delivery of electricity—but the future grid will be increasingly exposed to high-impact threats.

The division’s SecureNET program addresses R&D for critical secure data communications associated with electricity delivery systems. The program also focuses on developing security-by-design solutions based on data and physics. These solutions will address grid vulnerabilities and critical operational data processing, management, and communications systems that could expose the electricity system to cyber threats.

SecureNET is one of OE's many programs that accelerates adoption of end-to-end systems to protect the electric grid.

Sign Up for our LinkedIn Newsletter

We launched our LinkedIn newsletter, Grid Galaxy, just two months ago and it is out of this world! If you haven’t already connected to our Grid Galaxy, follow our LinkedIn account to receive frequent updates on OE news, initiatives, funding opportunities, and much more.

Be on the lookout for our October OE Grid Galaxy!

Share Your Clean Energy Story

The Office of Public Affairs (PA) is collecting stories from community members who saved money by switching to clean energy or energy-efficient appliances. Do you own or plan to own an electric vehicle? Does your home have an energy-efficient clothes dryer to save money on your electric bill? Did you choose another path to save energy?

PA will share selected stories across DOE’s channels to show how clean energy technology helps Americans be more efficient.

We look forward to seeing your clean energy story!

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OE Initiatives

Energy Storage Grand Challenge Content Available

Presentations, photos, videos, and more from the 2023 Energy Storage Grand Challenge Summit (ESGC) are now available. At this year's ESGC, participants built upon valuable discussions from 2022’s Summit and focused on engaging with a diverse set of energy storage stakeholders. Specifically, they learned how DOE will formulate strategies and pathways to accelerate clean energy storage innovation and deployment into the future.

This comprehensive set of solutions requires concerted action, guided by an aggressive goal: to develop and domestically manufacture energy storage technologies that can meet all U.S. market demands by 2030. See how ESGC is interconnected throughout DOE and leads for each track.

Energy Storage Grand Challenge 2023 Summit market evolution panel.

Grid-enhancing Technologies at Work

OE works tirelessly to develop solutions to build the grid of the future. Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) maximize the electricity transmission across the existing system through a family of technologies that include sensors, power flow control devices, and analytical tools. A Massachusetts energy storage facility on Nantucket Island presents an excellent example of GETs. The storage facility provides energy to the Island in the summer months, in addition to transmission capacity to the mainland.

In the words of OE’s Deputy Assistant Secretary, Grid Systems and Components Michael Pesin, “Grid modernization is not an option; it is an absolute prerequisite for a sustainable future. And the electricity delivery system is what holds everything together."

Transmission towers can be over 2,000 feet tall.

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In Case You Missed It

Energy Central Podcast Interviews Gene Rodrigues Have you heard Assistant Secretary Gene Rodrigues on the latest Energy Central Podcast episode? Utility leaders and professionals grapple with the ever-present challenges of grid reliability and resilience every day. Our department plays a critical role in overseeing and supporting stakeholders across the power sector. Bridging the federal energy policy space with on-the-ground utility insights is key to meeting these goals. This episode features a deep dive into that perspective from A/S Gene Rodrigues.

OE Division Campaign Recap

In September, OE held a three-week Division Promotion campaign culminating with World Energy Storage Day on Friday, Sept. 22. On social media and on our website, we highlighted the important, collaborative work of each OE division—Grid Systems and Components, Grid Controls and Communications, and Energy Storage. Their daily work supports DOE’s mission. If you missed out, what are you waiting for? Check out the highlights from each division lead in our Lighting the Way at OE blog series, which features a wrap-up piece from A/S Gene Rodrigues!

• Gil Bindewald: Lighting the way at OE
• Michael Pesin: Just like your house, we need a strong foundation for our grid
• Eric Hsieh: Finding energy storage solutions to fit all needs
• Gene Rodrigues: Celebrating World Energy Storage Day

Keep your eyes peeled! More content is coming across our social media channels for Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Follow our accounts for more.

OE's Divisions campaign led up to September's World Energy Storage Day.

Dr. Imre Gyuk as OE's first-ever
Chief Scientist for Energy Storage

Recently, Dr. Imre Gyuk was announced as OE’s first Chief Scientist for Energy Storage. Together with previously announced OE leadership, Dr. Gyuk's team will propel U.S. leadership in developing, deploying, and using energy storage technologies. In his new role as Chief Scientist, he will build on his decades of storage contributions to oversee storage strategy development, facilitate international partnerships, and continue nurturing the stakeholder and community connections in the fast-growing storage industry.

Dr. Imre Gyuk, Chief Scientist for Energy Storage.

Dr. Gyuk has devoted over three decades to the innovation and advancement of energy storage technologies; connecting diverse, small businesses with federal objectives and resources with a commendable record of success supporting development and transition of technologies from the early R&D stages to commercial success in the marketplace. Throughout his time at DOE, Dr. Gyuk’s leadership has supported pioneering developments in energy storage and power electronics recognized by 12 R&D 100 Awards.

Millions of Dollars Announced
to Fund HVDC Research

OE and DOE’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) released a $10 million funding opportunity announcement to fund research to drive innovation and reduce costs of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) voltage source converter (VSC) transmission systems. This investment is intended to enable future cost-effective grid upgrades required to integrate increasing renewable energy generation on to the grid, both onshore and offshore.

HVDC transmission has significant advantages compared to conventional AC lines, including greater efficiency over long distances, lower costs at these distances, and the ability to connect asynchronous systems. Program Manager Andre Pereira’s blog discusses the history of HVDC and where it can take our future electricity grid.

Long distance transmission lines could play a critical role in delivering low-cost renewable energy from areas with excess supply to areas with high demand.

American-Made Digitizing Utilities Prize
Winners Announced

OE announced the three winning teams for Phase 2 of the American-Made Digitizing Utilities Prize. Round One. This $1.1 million prize connected utilities with interdisciplinary teams of software developers and data scientists to transform the energy sector through innovation in obtaining actionable insight from grid use.

(Image credit: National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

This two-phase prize, launched a year ago, empowered competitors to challenge traditional methods of data acquisition, processing, storage, and analysis while collaborating in real time with industry partners. In Phase 1, teams proposed software solutions for one of three predetermined tracks: load modeling, data analysis automation, or a competitor-identified challenge with an existing utility partner.

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Fun Fact

Electricity has been powering lights in homes for over 140 years!

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