The development of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Microgrid Program Strategy started around December 2020. The purpose was to define strategic research and development (R&D) areas for the DOE Office of Electricity (OE) Microgrids R&D (MGRD) Program to support its vision and accomplish its goals. The overarching vision for the Strategy and MGRD is:
By 2035, microgrids are envisioned to be essential building blocks of the future electricity delivery system.
The Strategy development process began with microgrid experts deliberating on areas the Strategy should focus on for impactful results. These deliberations led to the development of seven strategic white papers, one for each of the six strategic R&D areas identified and one additional white paper on the overarching program vision, objectives, and targets. Each white paper was developed by a team of national laboratory and university members, and then reviewed by an industry advisory panel. These seven white papers constitute the DOE Microgrid Program Strategy.
OE sponsored the DOE Microgrid R&D Strategy Symposium on July 27 to 28, 2022, to seek input and feedback on the seven white papers from broader microgrid stakeholders. The symposium featured presentations, panel discussions, and group discussions on each white paper. Discussions focused on key R&D recommendations and their priority, aspirational R&D targets in five to ten years, and actionable steps recommended for enabling regulatory and business models.
The final draft of the seven white papers, which included feedback from the symposium, was posted for 30 days of public comment that ended on November 24, 2022. Since then, the Strategy white papers have been finalized.
The lead and co-lead authors are listed under each linked, final white paper below. The Symposium program agenda will have more information on the development team and industry advisory panel for each white paper.
White Papers
1. Program Vision, Objectives, and R&D Targets in 5 and 10 years
- Summer Ferreira, Sandia National Laboratories
- Murali Baggu, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
2. T&D Co-simulation of Microgrid Impacts and Benefits
- Kevin Schneider, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
- Karthikeyan Balasubramaniam, Argonne National Laboratory
3. Building Blocks for Microgrids
- Chen-Ching Liu, Virginia Tech
- Madhu Chinthavali, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Rob Hovsapian, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
4. Microgrids as a Building Block for Future Grids
- Vaibhav Donde, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Annabelle Pratt, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
5. Advanced Microgrid Control and Protection
- Ben Ollis, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Matt Reno, Sandia National Laboratories
6. Integrated Models and Tools for Microgrid Planning and Designs with Operations
- Russell Bent, Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Ravindra Singh, Argonne National Laboratory
7. Enabling Regulatory and Business Models for Broad Microgrid Deployment
- Robert Jeffers, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Owen Zinaman, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Joseph Eto, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory