DOE selects UT Austin for Energy Grid Project

AUSTIN, Texas - The Department of Energy has selected the Center for Electromechanics (CEM) in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin to lead a new $1.6 million project to develop the technology needed to bring the reliable and efficient emerging electrical grid to rural parts of Texas and the nation. It is one of seven major projects launched by the DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability as part of a nearly $10 million research investment. The projects are intended to help utilities advance and expand their distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar photovoltaics, combustion engines and energy storage systems onto the grid. This will help transform the grid from a one-way street into a two-way street for the flow of electricity. Distributed energy resources are an increasingly important part of America's energy mix, and improved sensing and monitoring, along with new modeling capabilities, will be critical for the ongoing national effort to invent a new grid that is less costly and more reliable. At UT Austin, CEM will work with project partners Argonne National Laboratory, Verivolt, National Instruments and Pedernales Electric Cooperative to leverage existing and emerging sensor technology and enable real-time grid-wise monitoring and modeling of loads and DERs. 'Augmenting and modernizing the legacy electric grid while continuing to maintain reliable electrical service is a lot like rebuilding a ship while at sea.