DOE’s Office of Science Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) and DOE’s Office of Electricity (OE) have funded $6 million in research projects for an inaugural partnership to prepare the nation for multiple disruptive power events and enable rapid response in a crisis for U.S. grid operators.
The DOE offices will guide the research at five of the nation’s national laboratories in a new partnership.
“OE has the expertise in the fast-changing grid dynamics, and Science has expertise in computer science research,” said Gene Rodrigues, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Electricity. “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.”
While one of the awards will apply machine learning and new mathematical algorithms to optimize electric-grid operations under multiple disruptive events, the other will focus on getting faster and accurate predictions 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. The funding for projects will last up to three years, with $1.5 million in FY 2024 dollars and outyear funding contingent on Congressional appropriations.
"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.
The funding is part of an ongoing initiative in the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, which has enabled scientific innovations 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.
