GRIP Round 2: $3.9B Available to Utilities to Unleash Transformative Grid Solutions

Harnessing Technology, Partnerships, and Community Involvement to Digitize the Grid

Earlier this month, the Department of Energy (DOE) released guidance and timing for the next round of GRIP applications, with concept papers due January 12, 2024 for all topic areas.

The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program is a $10.5 billion initiative funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law designed to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against extreme weather and climate change.

The first $3.5 billion round of GRIP funding, announced on October 18th, supports 58 projects across 44 states. So far, two of the awarded projects have announced that they will bring Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR) into system operations alongside widespread monitoring and controls, grid-forming technologies, distributed energy resources, battery storage, and more. 

• Dominion Energy will deploy the world’s largest DLR project to manage growing transmission capacity constraints in PJM’s service territory.
• Duquesne Light Company will increase transmission system capacity and enhance the use of clean energy using DLR. 

LineVision believes that dynamic ratings and situational awareness are critical to helping utilities serve load, tackle the challenges of an evolving grid, and win recognition for innovation and delivering transformative solutions in the next round of GRIP. 

As we witnessed in Round 1, DLR does not need to stand alone; it can enhance a broad variety of other projects and technologies you may be considering. Your proposals will be stronger if they include more technologies and stakeholders.

If you want to bring Grid Enhancing technologies (GETs) such as DLR to your GRIP pursuits, LineVision is ready to partner with you. Below is additional information regarding potential approaches and partnerships in Round 2:

Winning themes for future rounds

• DLR remains a focus area for GRIP as a key complement to many other technologies that meet the DOE’s goal of delivering comprehensive solutions to grid challenges across physical and digital investments.
• Community benefits are even more important in Round 2, not only around investing in Justice40 communities but by being clear and specific about the measurable CO2, financial, and health outcomes that your proposed project will deliver.
• Cascading the above benefits at scale is critical, whether you are focusing on a metropolitan area, or delivering benefits across an entire service territory.
• Projects that also address operational improvements, customer engagement, or market interactions would be of interest.

Tactical advantages for applicants

• Collaborate with other utilities, RTOs, and public agencies to deliver transformative projects.
• Emphasize the Biden administration’s priorities such as renewables integration, community involvement, and resilience from extreme weather.
• Projects that have a greater than 50:50 cost match will be looked favorably upon.

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If you’re thinking about how to make transformational investments in the transmission grid, deliver renewable energy to customers, monitor the grid, or utilize technology to make digital transformation a reality, contact us to learn how LineVision can help.

If you’d like to hear the DOE’s comments, here is the link to the webinar from Oct. 24th, November 20th, and the official Funding Opportunity Announcement.