National Grid has been awarded a $50 million grant from the US Department of Energy for a project that will deploy digital technology to optimise the use of distributed energy resources (DERs) to improve electric system reliability and resilience. The project is ultimately expected to lead to greater development and adoption of decarbonised resources, such as solar and energy storage.
National Grid's proposal, called the Future Grid Project, was chosen from among more than 100 proposals submitted by utilities, industry, academia, and state entities from across the country. This federal funding opportunity is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted in 2021 under the Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships (GRIP) Programme. The total cost for the project is about $140 million. The federal funds will be supplementing a $90 million investment by National Grid.
"The Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law is about to supercharge National Grid's efforts to modernise our electric infrastructure, helping integrate more clean energy, and making our power grid more resilient," said US senator Chuck Schumer of New York.
The Future Grid Project will deploy digital technology solutions at locations specifically targeted to benefit disadvantaged communities in New York and Massachusetts to improve electric system reliability and resilience and bring more clean energy resources to those areas.
The project is expected to maximise the value of DERs through advanced network management, resource orchestration, and control. The project will build upon foundational grid modernisation investments currently being implemented in electric service territories in New York and Massachusetts, including advanced metering infrastructure, advanced distribution management systems, distributed energy resource management systems, and more. The Future Grid project is expected to expand training and pre-apprenticeship programmes in partnership with several local community-serving institutes.
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