Read the March 2024 issue of the Grid Deployment Office Newsletter from the U.S. Department of Energy.
March 13, 2024
minute read time
Recent Announcements
Biden-Harris Administration Invests in Transmission to Provide Reliable, Resilient, and Affordable Electricity to Remote and Isolated Communities
Up To $200 Million Available as Part of Investing In America Agenda For Transmission Projects to Connect Microgrids to Existing Infrastructure Corridors in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. Territories
As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) on February 29, 2024, for up to $200 million for transmission projects to connect remote and isolated microgrids to existing infrastructure corridors in Alaska, Hawaii, and the territories of the United States. These projects are funded by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through the Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a $2.5 billion revolving fund that helps overcome financial hurdles facing new and upgraded transmission lines.
One of three unique funding mechanisms within the TFP, the public private partnerships developed through this RFP will be designed to address the unique electric grid configurations and challenges faced by residents in these remote and often isolated communities. Strategic interconnection of existing microgrids to each other and to a larger operating transmission system will enhance grid reliability and resilience and expand access to clean, diverse, and more affordable energy to lower electricity costs in these communities.
Learn more.
News and Updates
On January 18, 2024, DOE released the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Administrative and Legal Requirements Document (ALRD) to open the allocation request and application period for FY24 grant funding. An additional $562 million in funding is available through FY24 grants. Applicants have until April 17, 2024, to apply or request allocations.
The Grid Deployment Office (GDO) will host one final office hours session to answer questions and offer guidance for Tribes on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm ET.
America runs on power, and we expect that power to always be there. Providing clean, reliable, and resilient energy to every corner of our country is a big job. The backbone of this work—the U.S. electric grid—is complex and essential.
Across the country, DOE is hard at work to ensure the grid can provide electricity, safely and securely, day in and day out. We developed a video focused on how our Office works each day to develop cutting-edge technologies to deploy power from where it’s produced to where it’s needed by the American public.
New Approach to Transmission Planning Links Renewable Energy Zones to Major Load Centers via Longer, High-Voltage Transmission
The National Renewable Energy Lab recently released a report studying the economics of building long-distance, high-voltage transmission lines that are anchored to interregional renewable energy zones (IREZs), or areas with very high concentrations of the lowest-cost developable renewable energy potential.
The envisioned transmission lines would cross hundreds of miles and link the nation’s best renewable energy resources to the biggest load centers. Based on the NREL analysis, the IREZ approach could save money overall, help keep the lights on, and prudently speed up the pace of decarbonizing the nation’s electric grid.
Image source: NREL
On February 29, 2024, GDO released an RFP for up to $200 million of Federal funding through the TFP for public-private partnerships to support transmission projects that connect isolated microgrids to existing infrastructure corridors in Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories.
Strategic interconnection of isolated microgrids serving these communities to a larger operating transmission system is intended to promote reliability and resilience and contribute to long-term cost reductions for these consumers. Below are just some of the key points for the program:
- Eligible projects under this program are transmission projects that connect isolated microgrids to existing infrastructure corridors in Alaska, Hawaii, and the U.S. territories.
- DOE recognizes that these communities may have different ways of defining transmission and isolated microgrids depending on their unique grid configurations and electric grid needs.
- The TFP is not a grant program, and proposed projects must include a cost recovery plan and/or model to repay DOE’s TFP funding.
We hope to see some of you at the National Hydropower Association's Waterpower Week 2024 in person at the Capital Hilton in Washington D.C. from March 13-15, 2024. GDO representatives will be at the Meet and Greet with Government Agencies on Wednesday, March 13 at 12:30 p.m. The following day, March 14 at 2 p.m., GDO will also participate in a panel entitled “Ensuring Communities Benefit from Water Power Activities in Their Backyards” where we will discuss our important initiatives and what they really mean in terms of day-to-day work by hydro project owners and developers and in-the-field researchers. In addition, Maria Robinson, Director, GDO, will participate as a keynote speaker during the Plenary Session.
GDO’s State and Tribal Resource Center provides a host of valuable information specific to tribal organizations, including a new fact sheet listing available financial support, technical assistance, and additional resources geared specifically to Tribal organizations.
We are committed to working with a wide range of community partners and with Tribal organizations to expand and modernize the electric grid to meet growing electrification requires a holistic effort across the nation, including communities, States, territories, and Tribal organizations.
- Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants
- Grid Innovation Program
- Tribal Nation Offshore Wind Transmission Technical Assistance Program
- Clean Energy Innovator Fellowship program
- Grid Resilience Technical Assistance Consortium
- Grid and Transmission Program Conductor
The Grid and Transmission Program Conductor acts as a clearinghouse for GDO’s transmission and grid resilience financing programs, as well as other existing DOE transmission and grid programs. The Conductor is an interactive tool for you to find opportunities best suited to individual projects. View the program summary or visit the Conductor Guide for more comprehensive information about the available funding opportunities and the application process. The guide also contains various FAQs for further assistance.
If you have questions about our Transmission planning work, please visit the Enhanced Transmission Planning webpage and if you have additional questions, please reach out to us at Transmission@hq.doe.gov and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Open Opportunities
| OPPORTUNITY | TYPE | RESPONSE DUE |
| Transmission Siting and Economic Development Grant Program | Funding opportunity | APPLICATIONS: 4/5/2024 |
| Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants | Funding opportunity | APPLICATIONS: 4/17/2024 |
| Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program Second Round | Funding opportunity | APPLICATIONS: 4/17/2024 |
| Transmission Facilitation Program Public-Private Partnerships (Connecting Microgrids) | Request for proposal | APPLICATIONS: 5/31/2024 |
Upcoming Events
| DATE | TIME | MEETING |
| 4/9/2024 | 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET | April 9 Grid Resilience Formula Grants Tribal Office Hours |
Recent Meeting Materials
| DATE | MEETING | MATERIALS |
| 2/7/2024 | Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grant Program Workshop | |
| 2/7/2024 | February 7 Hydroelectric Efficiency Improvement Incentive Selections Webinar | |
| 2/21/2024 | February 21 Transmission Facilitation Program Capacity Contracts RFP Round 2 Informational Webinar | |
| 3/5/2024 | GRIP Community Benefits Training | |
| 3/6/2024 | Build America Buy America Act (BABA) and Davis Bacon Act (DBA) Training for Tribes | Coming soon |
| 3/12/2024 | March 12 GRIP Program Application Webinar | Coming soon |
For more video content from GDO, including messages from GDO leadership, recordings from past webinars, explainer videos, and more, check out GDO’s YouTube playlist on the DOE YouTube channel.