Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Department of Energy has announced six projects to develop and upgrade software for the power grid, with a total investment of $10 million.
- Washington state's Peak Reliability was given the highest award of $3.9 million to help the grid operator develop automated control systems. California utility Pacific Gas & Electric was awarded $2.9 million to help improve its existing software. Other companies that received investments were Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Hawaiian Electric Company, and Electric Power Group.
- The award is designed to develop software that can boost synchrophasor technology, which allows power companies to measure voltage, current and frequency on the grid in real time.
Dive Insight:
There are currently about 1,700 synchrophasors installed on the U.S. grids, a sharp rise from 2009 when there were only 200. The technology enables the detection of abnormalities in frequency and voltage across the grid in real time, improving grid reliability, power quality and asset utilitization, according to DOE.
“By partnering with utilities and software developers, the Energy Department can help the U.S. electric industry maintain more reliable and resilient power systems," said Patricia Hoffman, assistant secretary for the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery & Energy Reliability.