Request for Information: Grid Integration of Solar Energy Systems and Other Inverter-based Resources

***This webpage was updated November 30, 2023 to reflect a deadline extension for responses.***

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) has issued a request for information (RFI) to better understand the technical challenges and opportunities for grid integration of solar energy systems and other inverter-based resources that include photovoltaics (PV) and energy storage facilities connected to bulk power systems, distribution systems, microgrids, and behind-the-meter systems.

SETO encourages feedback from members of the solar industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, end-user groups, and other relevant organizations related to the cost-effective and reliable integration of solar energy onto the electric grid. Questions in the RFI span six topic areas addressing future scenarios with high levels of inverter-based resources (IBR) and distributed energy resources (DER):

1. System Planning for High IBR and DER Futures
2. System Operation for High IBR and DER Futures
3. System Resilience for High IBR and DER Futures
4. Cybersecurity for Solar and DER Systems
5. Enabling Technologies for High IBR and DER Futures – Power Electronics, Communication, Sensing, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning
6. Other Emerging Topics for High IBR and DER Futures

Feedback provided through this RFI will help SETO identify key challenges, assess technology gaps, determine research needs and priorities, and develop new research, development, and demonstration initiatives to support rapid solar deployment and the smooth transition to a reliable, secure, resilient, and decarbonized grid of the future.

DOWNLOAD THE RFI.

Additional Information

The deadline to submit your response to this RFI is Dec. 15, 2023, at 5 p.m. ET. You must email your response to SETO-SI-2023-RFI@ee.doe.gov as a Microsoft Word (.docx) attachment, no more than 8 pages in length, 12-point font, and 1-inch margins. Attachments larger than 25MB should be compressed (i.e., zipped) to ensure message delivery. Only electronic responses will be accepted.

Please identify your answers by responding to a specific question or topic, if applicable.

The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) will not respond to individual submissions or publish publicly a compendium of responses. A response to this RFI will not be viewed as a binding commitment to develop or pursue the project or ideas discussed. 

Please provide the following information at the start of your response to this RFI: 

• Company or institution name 
• Company or institution contact 
• Contact's address, phone number, and e-mail address  

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