The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a new funding opportunity of up to $65 million for Connected Communities 2.0, aimed at advancing innovations in managing increasing electric loads from buildings, transportation, and industry on the power grid. This initiative focuses on validating grid-edge technologies in real-world environments and providing tools for utilities, automakers, grid planners, and smart charge management service providers. The goal is to advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts toward a clean energy economy by integrating grid-connected buildings and electric vehicles (EVs) powered by clean, distributed energy sources, ensuring these technologies are ready for widespread adoption.
Connected Communities 2.0 builds on previous DOE projects, targeting two main areas: grid-edge technical measures in buildings, industry, and transportation, and smart charge management for EVs across various settings. The program aims to develop new technologies to ensure the grid remains flexible, resilient, and capable of handling growing energy demands. It also seeks to demonstrate the benefits of smart and coordinated management of EVs and distributed energy resources, while improving grid resilience and customer experiences.
The Connected Communities 2.0 funding opportunity is designed to promote a decarbonized, equitable, and affordable electric power system. It has three main objectives:
- To demonstrate how smart and coordinated management of EVs and other distributed energy resources can support the grid, reduce system costs, and encourage customer adoption.
- To validate approaches for managing grid-edge technologies and innovative planning strategies that optimize investments in the distribution system.
- To improve resilience for communities, end-use customers, and the overall grid.
To achieve these objectives, the funding focuses on four areas of research, development, and demonstration. These include testing grid-edge technologies that can reduce the need for extensive distribution infrastructure investments, validating smart charge management for EVs on a large scale, demonstrating increased customer benefits and grid resilience through the use of grid-edge technologies, and collecting data to assess the system’s readiness for new energy demands.
The DOE’s efforts align with the goals of the Justice40 Initiative, which ensures that at least 40% of federal investments benefit disadvantaged communities, often those with weaker energy infrastructure. Connected Communities 2.0 is supported by several DOE offices and is part of a broader strategy to issue over $100 million for research and field demonstrations to enhance electric grid planning and operations.
More information about Connected Communities 2.0: https://www.energy.gov/eere/funding-notice-connected-communities-20
