Utility and Grid Operator Technical Assistance

The Utility and Grid Operator Technical Assistance activities offered by NREL are designed to disseminate technical solutions that accelerate clean energy and transmission deployment in communities nationwide.

The no-cost Utility and Grid Operator Technical Assistance program is provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Grid Deployment Office through several national laboratories including, NREL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Pathways

Technical assistance will be available along two pathways:

1. Key Assist provides utilities and grid operators with access to national lab facilities, such as NREL's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) research platform, and world-class researchers. This technical assistance program includes between $500,000 and $1 million of support—at no cost to the applicant—over 2 years. A 50% in-kind cost share is required for investor-owned utilities and regional transmission organizations. (In-kind contributions can include staff or contractor time, engineering or planning studies, load forecasting and system information, equipment, etc.) Applications related to interconnection issues do not require cost share. 

   Focus areas:
   • Technical challenges related to operational architectures or specific technology configurations (may necessitate use of lab test systems/facilities)
   • Large-scale, integrated planning challenges that bring together multiple elements (e.g., building vehicle electrification with distribution system planning)
   • For interconnection topics, technical assistance of $100,000–$300,000 is available and does not require cost share.  
   
   

   Example: NREL investigated the critical operation of a generator tie line, often carrying more than 1 GW of renewable energy, into a large investor-owned utility’s grid. The project addressed concerns over the creation of a large power system contingency and the general reliable operation of the transmission-level tie line with connections from multiple large-scale inverter-based resource plants. NREL completed state-of-the-art hardware-in-the-loop experiments to determine tie line protection system performance and assessed the feasibility of novel methods for remotely determining the grid stability characteristics of the tie line.

   Apply for Key Assist by Friday, Nov. 14, 2024. Download the Key Assist application questions.
   

2. Rolling technical assistance provides utilities and grid operators with up to 100 hours of subject matter expertise from NREL and other DOE labs.

   Focus areas: Load forecasting, distribution system planning, distributed energy resources, vehicle-grid integration, building electrification, transmission and distribution coordination, bulk-power planning, and transmission planning. Transmission planning support, including long-term regional transmission planning considerations related to compliance with FERC Order 1920, is provided by the DOE Grid Deployment Office.

   Example: NREL supported Stowe Electric (Vermont) in understanding grid upgrades and designing a green tariff program for low-income households, and NREL has supported Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (New Mexico) in understanding hydrogen production, feasibility, and safety.

   Apply for Rolling Technical Assistance: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Download the Technical Assistance application questions.

Eligibility

Eligible entities include:

• Municipal utilities
• Cooperative utilities
• Investor-owned utilities
• Regional transmission organizations
• Independent system operators.

For updates about the Utility and Grid Operator Technical Assistance program, complete this short form.

Utility Planning Resources for Energy Transition Webinar Series

Also, starting this fall, the U.S. DOE Office of Policy is providing resources to help utilities address critical challenges in a rapidly evolving landscape. Electric utility engineers, planners, operators, and leadership can connect with resources and insights—as well as experts and cutting-edge research—through NREL’s Utility Planning Resources for Energy Transition webinar series. Webinars will cover a range of themes to help utilities navigate the energy transition and will include ample time for Q&A, discussion with NREL subject matter experts, and opportunity to share feedback to inform future energy research and technical assistance offerings. To receive invitations (via email) to upcoming webinars, please submit this interest form.