Operation and Planning Tools for Inverter-based Resource Management and Availability for future power systems (OPTIMA), DE-FOA-0003034

Background
This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is being issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO). This FOA will advance the Biden Administration’s goals to achieve carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and to 'deliver an equitable, clean energy future, and put the United States on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by no later than 2050' to the benefit of all Americans. The research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) activities to be funded under this FOA will support the government-wide approach to the climate crisis by driving innovations that can lead to the large-scale deployment of clean energy technologies.

Grant Details
The Operation and Planning Tools for Inverter-Based Resources Management and Availability for Future Power Systems (OPTIMA) FOA focuses on the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies and tools for the bulk power system in three topic areas: Planning Tools for Future Power Systems, Variability Management in Grid Operations, and Rapid System Health and Risk Assessment Tools for Grid Operators.

The FOA seeks to fund the development of new tools and methodologies for grid planners to incorporate dynamic features of variable renewable energy (VRE) and inverter-based technologies to improve long-term planning of the bulk power system. It also aims to fund projects that develop tools for grid operators to optimally utilize and control large-scale VRE, as well as large numbers of distributed energy resources (DER), to achieve a more reliable and predictable operation of the grid. Additionally, it seeks to fund projects for developing tools for grid operators to identify and mitigate emerging system risks driven by faster dynamics and uncertain control interactions of inverter-based resources.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include domestic entities such as universities, national labs, industry partners, electric industry stakeholders, transmission and distribution utilities, independent system operators, original equipment manufacturers, software vendors, solar facility operators, DER aggregators, research institutions, non-profit organizations, state or local governments or their instrumentalities.

Period of Performance
The expected timeframe for award negotiations is January – June 2024.

Grant Value
The estimated funding for this grant is not provided in the document.