Next-Generation Transformers - Flexible Designs

The summary for the Next-Generation Transformers - Flexible Designs grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the National Energy Technology Laboratory, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Next-Generation Transformers - Flexible Designs: The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) provides national leadership to ensure that the Nations energy delivery system is secure, resilient, and reliable. OE works to develop new technologies to enhance the infrastructure that brings electricity into our homes, offices, and factories and to improve the federal and state electricity policies and programs that shape electricity system planning and market operations. OE also works to bolster the resiliency of the electric grid and assists with restoration when major energy supply interruptions occur. Within OE, the Transformer Resilience and Advanced Components (TRAC) program supports modernization and resiliency of the grid by addressing the unique challenges facing transformers and other critical components (i.e., grid hardware) that are responsible for carrying and controlling electricity from where it is generated to where it is needed. As the electric power system evolves to enable a more resilient and clean energy future, Research and Development (R&D) and testing will be needed to understand the physical impact these changes have on transformers and other vital grid components and to encourage adoption of new technologies and approaches. Development of advanced components will provide the physical capabilities required in the future grid and help avoid inflexible infrastructure lock-in with outdated technologies that are long-lived and expensive. Section I of the Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) covers the entire background of the FOA. The objective of this FOA is to stimulate innovative large power transformer (LPT) designs that promote greater standardization (i.e., commoditization) to increase grid resilience (i.e., faster recovery through greater interchangeability) in the event of the loss of one or more LPTs. To this end, new designs must maintain high efficiencies, have variable impedances, accommodate various high-side and low-side voltages, and be cost-effective compared to traditional LPTs. Other important specifications to compare include operating lifetime, size and weight (for transportation), and installed footprint. Projects are expected to involve modeling, analyses, and exploratory research to assess the performance and economics of proposed designs.