By Michael Brooks

RTOs and ISOs will take part in 15 research and development projects awarded almost $38 million in funding by the Energy Department last week.

U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz last week announced $220 million in funding as part of the Energy Department’s Grid Modernization Initiative, an effort by the Obama administration to integrate new technology into the country’s energy infrastructure.

The department awarded the funds over three years, subject to congressional appropriations, to its national laboratories. The labs will partner with grid operators, energy companies, universities and local government agencies on 88 projects, ranging from advanced storage systems to improving transformer resiliency, to accommodate increased transmission from renewable sources.

“Modernizing the U.S. electrical grid is essential to reducing carbon emissions, creating safeguards against attacks on our infrastructure and keeping the lights on,” Moniz said. “This public-private partnership … will help us further strengthen our ongoing efforts to improve our electrical infrastructure so that it is prepared to respond to the nation’s energy needs for decades to come.”

The projects are based in part on recommendations from last year’s Quadrennial Energy Review. (See Federal Energy Review Calls for Billions of Dollars in Spending on Infrastructure.)

“A modernized grid will enable two-way communication and data flows, allowing operators to better understand the grid’s immediate operating status,” said Franklin Orr, DOE undersecretary for science and energy. “By having this information, operators can run the grid closer to its full potential and capabilities, resulting in greater efficiencies and reliability.”

PJM in 8 Projects

PJM will take part in eight projects, followed by ERCOT with six, MISO with five and ISO-NE, NYISO and SPP with three each, according to the department. CAISO is participating in one project.

The eight projects in which PJM is participating were awarded about $25 million. One involves enhanced grid modeling; the others address transmission reliability, said Emanuel Bernabeu, manager of applied solutions.

Bernabeu called the modeling project “critical.”

“Our load changes rapidly. The composition is changing, and the way the customer behaves is also changing,” he said. “Our model needs to be able to capture that. Otherwise, when I run a [model], it may not match reality.”

The project, which will cost $2.7 million, will be developed at Argonne National Laboratory in partnership with Iowa State University, ERCOT, Commonwealth Edison and Alliant Energy, among others.

The other projects span a wide range of grid reliability. One aims to improve situational awareness in the control room. Another project, a $3 million effort across eight of the labs, aims to enhance the modeling of extreme events, including cold weather, hurricanes and geomagnetic disturbances. “Extreme weather is becoming more prevalent now,” Bernabeu said.

SPP, MISO Team on Seams Project

SPP and MISO will be the key players in an effort to evaluate the HVDC and AC transmission seams between the U.S. interconnections, according to SPP. The $1.2 million Midwest Interconnection Seams Study “will explore timely questions about aging infrastructure and enhance existing regional and interregional planning processes,” said Lanny Nickell, SPP vice president of engineering.

“It’s a long overdue study. SPP has been recommending such a study to investigate the interconnections between the eastern and western grids,” said Jay Caspary, director of research, development and special studies for SPP. The project will also involve the Energy Department’s Western Area Power Administration, the Solar Energy Industries Association, Minnesota Power and Xcel Energy. “No individual regional planner can do this on their own,” Caspary said.

“This important work will play a key role as MISO continues to ensure reliability now and in the future,” said Jennifer Curran, MISO vice president of system planning and seams coordination.

Some RTOs’ Roles Unclear

It is unclear to what degree each RTO and ISO will play in the projects.

ISO-NE said it is only acting as an adviser to the labs for certain projects. NYISO said that, though it is listed on the department’s website, it declined to partner with it on WindView, a $1.8 million visualization program that would display wind forecast information along with system power flows in order to better monitor how wind power affects the grid as the resource becomes more prevalent throughout the U.S.

Companies Involved

Also among those participating in the projects are:

• Utilities (including Southern Co., Dominion Resources, Tennessee Valley Authority, Duke Energy, National Grid, Louisville Gas and Electric);
• Equipment suppliers (Alstom Grid, GE-Alstom, United Technologies);
• Research organizations and universities (Electric Power Research Institute, George Washington University, UNC-Charlotte, Clemson University, University of Vermont, Regulatory Assistance Project, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority);
• Trade associations (American Public Power Association, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association).

Suzanne Herel, Tom Kleckner, Amanda Durish Cook and William Opalka contributed to this report.