Department of Energy Announces $6 Million for Research Toward a More Robust and Reliable Electric Grid

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Two Department of Energy (DOE) offices have funded $6 million in research projects for an inaugural partnership to better prepare the nation for multiple disruptive power events and enable rapid response in a crisis for U.S. grid operators.

DOE’s Office of Science Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) and DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE) will guide the research at five of the nation’s national laboratories in a new partnership.

“OE and the Office of Science, working together, will address the need for faster computing of the vast amount of data on the grid,” said Gene Rodrigues, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Electricity. “OE has the expertise in the fast-changing grid dynamics, and Science has expertise in computer science research. The result of this work will help grid operators plan and implement solutions that bolster the reliability of our nation’s power grid and ensure affordable access to clean energy for every American.”

Growth in renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, benefits U.S. consumers, industry, and the environment. However, integration of such distributed generation sources, which can be quite variable and difficult to predict, poses new challenges to the nation’s electric grid. The grid’s transmission and distribution network comprises millions of elements whose states change on a millisecond time scale, making simulations highly complex.  

“These awards fill gaps in our understanding of computational algorithms that can enable the faster and more accurate simulation of the grid needed by utilities to ensure greater reliability, robustness to disruptive events, and efficiency,” said Ceren Susut, DOE’s Associate Director for Advanced Scientific Computing Research.

About SciDAC

It’s all part of an ongoing initiative in the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program. Since 2001, SciDAC has enabled scientific breakthroughs by lowering the barriers to leverage the world’s most capable computing resources through partnerships composed of applied mathematicians, computer scientists, and scientists from other disciplines.

“As the newest SciDAC partner, OE joins all six research programs in the Office of Science as well as the Office of Nuclear Energy in this coordinated effort,” said Susut.  

Since its inception, the SciDAC model has accelerated the pace of scientific discovery. Now in its fourth cycle, SciDAC continues to address mathematical and computational challenges related to predictive modeling and high-fidelity simulations and to the generation and management of large datasets, increased demand for scientific credibility, and expected disruptions in computer architectures.

Although SciDAC is a partnership among SC programs, it is also built around collaborative teams of experts from national laboratories, universities, and other research organizations. This approach not only taps into the broadest range of expertise but also ensures that the resulting tools and methods will be available to the wider research community.

Machine Learning, New Algorithms

The two awards will address complementary challenges. One applies Machine Learning” aria-label=”DOE Explains…Machine Learning“>machine learning and new mathematical algorithms to optimize electric-grid operations under multiple disruptive events.  The other focuses on how to get accurate predictions out of the supercomputer fast enough for grid operators to direct electricity flow in response to rapid changes in generation and demand.

The projects were selected by competitive peer review under DOE National Laboratory Funding Announcement LAB 24-3310. Total funding is $6 million for projects lasting up to three years in duration, with $1.5 million in Fiscal Year 2024 dollars and outyear funding contingent on Congressional appropriations.  

The list of projects and more information can be found on the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program homepage.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.