Open the August 2024 issue of the Grid Deployment Office Newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy.
August 2, 2024
minute read time
Recent Announcements
Selected Projects Will Support the Expansion of a Modernized Electric Grid, Accelerate State and Local Permitting, Create Good-Paying Jobs and Build Up Community Infrastructure
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected 20 projects across 16 states on July 24, 2024, to receive up to $371 million in funding through the Transmission Siting and Economic Development (TSED) Grants Program. The TSED program, administered by the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), is designed to advance critical transmission projects by accelerating siting and permitting while supporting economic development efforts in communities impacted by transmission construction and operation.
The selections will equip state and local agencies with resources to streamline their siting and permitting processes through, for example, digitizing records and implementing electronic comment filing systems. Today’s selections also support states and local communities impacted by transmission development by investing in much needed upgrades to critical facilities like schools and emergency response facilities, promoting economic opportunities like tourism and small business development, and positioning communities for long term economic success through worker education and training programs.
DOE announced its intent to issue a $325 million funding opportunity on July 18, 2024, for the new Programa de Comunidades Resilientes, funded by the Puerto Rico Energy Resilience Fund (PR-ERF). This new program aims to improve community-level energy resilience for vulnerable populations across Puerto Rico, funding solar and battery storage installations for community healthcare facilities as well as community centers and common areas within subsidized multi-family housing properties.
Applicants may include individual entities or teams based in Puerto Rico that can coordinate the deployment of solar and battery storage systems across many individual sites.
Selected Projects Will Conduct Grid Resilience Analysis and Modeling to Strengthen and Modernize the Power Grid Against Extreme Weather
On June 27, 2024, GDO announced $4.6 million for six applicants to provide technical assistance to accelerate analysis of regional climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure.
This investment, made through the Grid Resilience and Climate Change Impacts Analysis (GRACI) partnerships, will use risk assessments and modeling to support recipients of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants with rapid decision-making to prioritize investments for impactful community benefits. The Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants are designed to strengthen and modernize America’s power grid against wildfires, extreme weather, and other natural disasters that are exacerbated by the climate crisis.
News and Updates
The Report Examines Opportunities and Challenges for Transmitting Offshore Wind Energy in the Gulf of Mexico to Customers on Land
Researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a report, Gulf of Mexico Offshore Wind Transmission Literature Review and Gaps Analysis: Environmental Considerations, Community Readiness, and Infrastructure. Funded by DOE’s GDO and the Wind Energy Technologies Office, the report examines current literature to gather information and identify gaps that need to be filled to advance regional transmission planning work in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Gulf of Mexico represents 37% of the country’s total offshore wind energy potential and could provide a reliable, clean source of energy to customers in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Effectively and efficiently connecting offshore wind energy resources to end users in the Gulf of Mexico requires coordinated transmission planning to ensure that electric transmission facilities can adequately support future offshore development.
Puerto Rico’s commitment to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2050 will require finding new sites for energy projects. Reservoirs and brownfields—lands previously used for industrial and commercial purposes that may be contaminated—could be full of untapped potential.
In a new study, completed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), researchers identified up to 3.3 gigawatts of theoretical solar PV capacity across Puerto Rico’s waterbodies, closed landfills, Superfund sites, power plant footprints, and other contaminated areas. This work builds on the Puerto Rico Grid Resilience and Transitions to 100% Renewable Energy Study (PR100), released by DOE, FEMA, and National Renewable Energy Laboratory earlier this year.
Open Opportunities & Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities and events!
Recent Meeting Materials
| DATE | MEETING | MATERIALS |
| 7/12/2024 | NASEO Davis Bacon Act and LCP tracker Training for States and Territories | |
| 6/12/2024 | Interregional Transmission Operational Coordination Workshop – Day 2 | |
| 6/11/2024 | Interregional Transmission Operational Coordination Workshop – Day 1 |