Utility and Grid Operator Technical Assistance

Key Assist provides utilities and grid operators with access to national lab facilities, such as NREL's Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) research platform, and world-class researchers. This technical assistance program includes up to $1 million of support over 2 years. A 50% in-kind cost share is required for investor-owned utilities and regional transmission organizations. (In-kind contributions can include staff or contractor time, engineering or planning studies, load forecasting and system information, equipment, etc.) Applications related to interconnection issues do not require cost share.

Focus Areas

• Technical challenges related to operational architectures or specific technology configurations (may necessitate use of lab test systems/facilities)
• Large-scale, integrated planning challenges that bring together multiple elements (e.g., building vehicle electrification with distribution system planning)

Example Project

NREL investigated the critical operation of a generator tie line—often carrying more than 1 GW of renewable energy—into a large investor-owned utility’s grid. The project addressed concerns over the creation of a large power system contingency and the general reliable operation of the transmission-level tie line with connections from multiple large-scale inverter-based resource plants. NREL completed state-of-the-art hardware-in-the-loop experiments to determine tie line protection system performance and assessed the feasibility of novel methods for remotely determining the grid stability characteristics of the tie line.

Interconnection assistance is supported by DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-initiative (i2x) to provide transmission providers and distribution utilities with access to national lab researchers and cutting-edge models that can address their interconnection needs. This technical assistance is not for independent system operators (ISOs). This program will provide $100,000–$150,000 per project for 1 year, focusing on short-term and medium-term solutions identified in DOE’s Transmission Interconnection and the DOE Draft Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap. Assistance more than $150,000 will be considered based on merit, available budget, and by exception. Assistance needs for longer than a year will be re-evaluated after 1 year on a case-by-case basis. A 50% cost-share is required for investor-owned utilities and regional transmission organizations (in-kind contributions can include staff or contractor time).

Focus Areas

• Technical scoping of host capacity maps (also known as “heatmaps” that meet or exceed FERC Order 2023 requirements)
• Evaluation of mitigation options during interconnection studies, incorporating alternative technologies such as dynamic line rating, advanced conductors, as well as capability of solar, wind, and battery storage
• Adoption of a harmonized and/or comprehensive interconnection requirements or standards, consistent with IEEE Standard 2800-2002 and IEEE 1547-2018
• Developing automated technical screens for DER interconnection studies
• Developing protocols for dynamic or flexible interconnection solutions and services
• Developing cybersecurity requirements and protocols for Interconnection Agreements and secure data sharing
• Other short-term and medium-term interconnection solutions that are deemed critical for applicants

Example Project

NREL supported City of Loveland, Colorado, Water and Power to establish standard operating procedures and protocols for streamlining distributed energy resource interconnection. Although this technical assistance was for a distribution utility, similar assistance can be provided for transmission providers in the above focus areas.

Rolling technical assistance provides utilities and grid operators with up to 100 hours of subject matter expertise from NREL and other DOE labs.

Focus Areas

• Load forecasting
• Distribution system planning
• Distributed energy resources
• Vehicle-grid integration
• Building electrification
• Transmission and distribution coordination
• Bulk-power planning
• Transmission planning*

*Transmission planning support, including long-term regional transmission planning considerations related to compliance with FERC Order 1920, is provided by the DOE Grid Deployment Office.

Example Project

NREL supported Stowe Electric (Vermont) in understanding grid upgrades and designing a green tariff program for low-income households, and NREL supported Kit Carson Electric Cooperative (New Mexico) in understanding hydrogen production, feasibility, and safety.