Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid (Competitive)

Federal Agency

Sub-Department

Grid Deployment Office (GDO) & Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED)

Purpose

To support activities, technologies, equipment, and measures meant to reduce the likelihood and consequences of electric grid damage in the face of extreme weather events.

Applicant and/or Project Eligibility Requirements

Eligible recipients for the competitive program include: electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, electricity generators, transmission owners or operators, distribution providers, and fuel suppliers.

Decarbonization Considerations

Consider activities that are supplemental to existing grid resilience efforts, reduce the risk of power lines causing a wildfire, or reduce the likelihood and consequences of disruptive events. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, weatherization technologies and equipment, undergrounding of electrical equipment, relocation of power lines, and use or construction of distributed energy resources like microgrids and battery storage.

Equity Considerations

Historically marginalized communities are often more vulnerable to grid outages. Consider building microgrids, new distribution lines, and/or upgrading existing transmission infrastructure to minimize the disruptions in these communities.

Helpful Tips

This Program falls under a broader DOE Initiative "Building a Better Grid (which includes multiple federal funding streams). For more information, see: https://www.energy.gov/oe/articles/building-better-grid-initiative

Other Notes

Small utilities are defined as entities that sell no more than 4,000,000 MWh of electricity per year.