Grid Modernization Technologies

Grid Technologies

America's safety, security, and overall vitality depend on the uninterrupted delivery of electricity to homes, businesses and public spaces. The nation's power grid, one of our greatest strengths, is also uniquely vulnerable to attack as people and machines become increasingly connected to the public internet. As the US Department of Energy’s largest open science and energy laboratory, ORNL researchers are working with DOE and industry to develop new grid modernization technologies that will help build a resilient, modern grid of the future — one of the most critical infrastructure challenges of the 21st century.

ORNL scientists are concentrating their expertise in power electronics and systems, electrochemical engineering, quantum information sciences, and cybersecurity technologies to help address the following needs:

• The modern grid must be resilient to withstand extreme weather events, physical and cybersecurity attacks, as well more volatile energy demand and changing load shapes.
• The modern grid must be more flexible to accommodate two-way power flows and the increased adoption of distributed energy resources.
• The modern grid must enable more choice and convenience for consumers.
• The modern grid must do all this while achieving higher standards of performance in reliability, efficiency, security, cost of service, power quality and safety.

ORNL with unique instruments and facilities, including the world’s fastest supercomputer as well as the Large-Scale System Testbed is to represent large grids of the future. The ORNL scientists our working towards:

• Building resiliency into the modern power grid
• Grid Cybersecurity
• Technologies at the grid edge
• Convergence of artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics to transform T&D operations
• Leveraging DERs and advanced controls to improve grid services and resiliency

Many of these researchers' innovations are available for licensing, and opportunities exist for collaborative research and development.