US Invests $11 Million in Cutting-Edge HVDC Transmission Projects
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced funding for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission research and development. This $11 million initiative, known as the Innovative DEsigns for high-performAnce Low-cost HVDC Converters (IDEAL HVDC), aims to assist in the integration of renewable energy into the national power grid.
The IDEAL HVDC program has set ambitious targets to facilitate affordable integration of renewable energy sources, reduce transmission system costs by 35% by 2035, and promote widespread adoption of HVDC technology.
Funding for this initiative comes from two DOE offices: the Office of Electricity (OE) is providing $8.1 million, while the remaining $3million is coming from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's (EERE) Wind Energy Technologies Office.
Four groundbreaking projects have been chosen for the IDEALHVDC program:
1) GE Vernova Advanced Research: Awarded $3.3million to develop a low-cost HVDC transmission access point substation, aiming to reduce HVDC life cycle costs by over 30%.
2) Sandia National Laboratories: Granted $1.8million to increase power density and reduce costs of HVDC converter stations by 10% through the development of smaller 1.7 kilovolt (kV) switches.
3) University of Pittsburgh: Received $3 million to utilize artificial intelligence for optimizing HVDC converter design, focusing on increased power density and decreased cost.
4) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: Awarded $3 million to investigate promising circuit technologies for upgrading existing HVDC converter designs, with the goal of reducing direct material technology costs by 15-20%.
Gene Rodrigues, Assistant Secretary for Electricity,emphasized the importance of this investment in modernizing the nation's electric grid. He stated that the IDEAL HVDC program will accelerate the adoption of innovative technology, creating pathways for integrating more low-cost renewable energy onto the power grid. Jeff Marootian, Principal DeputyAssistant Secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy,highlighted the program's role in improving energy reliability for consumers by better integrating both land and offshore power sources, such as wind, onto the grid.
These selections are the first actions taken to support DOE's initiative to improve grid resilience, security, and operation flexibility: HVDC COst REduction (CORE) Initiative | Department of Energy
Learn More about: Connecting the Country with HVDC | Department of Energy
Learn more about: Office of Electricity | Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy | Department of Energy.
