The Department of Energy’s (DoE) Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has announced up to $70 million in funding to support research into technologies designed to increase resilience and reduce risks to energy delivery infrastructure from a variety of hazards, including cyber threats.
The All-Hazards Energy Resilience program – announced by DoE on Jan. 4 – is a new competitive funding opportunity that will be available to public and private sector stakeholders, universities, and DoE’s National Laboratories.
DoE said the program will help advance next-generation innovations that strengthen the resilience of America’s energy systems, which include the power grid, electric utilities, pipelines, and renewable energy generation sources like wind or solar.
CESER is expected to fund up to 25 research, development, and demonstration projects under this funding opportunity, with awards ranging from $500,000 to $5 million.
“As the climate and technology landscape is constantly changing, this funding opportunity is intentionally broad, and awardees are encouraged to develop innovative and unique solutions that are not ‘one size fits all,’” the agency’s press release says.
There are several proposed topic areas for the projects, including cyber research and development to advance cybersecurity and reduce cyber risks to energy systems.
Another project area for the funding opportunity includes university-based research and development to improve the cyber and cyber-physical security posture of the electric sector through the integration of university-based research. This topic is calling specifically for applicants that are part of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In addition to academic institutions, teams must include energy industry owners, operators, or energy sector solution providers, DoE said.
“Making smart investments in America’s energy systems today is essential to ensuring they’re more reliable and resilient against tomorrow’s threats, while also reaching President Biden’s ambitious clean energy and climate goals,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. “As we build our clean energy future, these investments will help save money in the long run by identifying and developing innovative solutions that ensure our nation’s energy infrastructure can withstand emerging threats and the challenges of a changing world.”
DoE is encouraging diverse teams from universities, nonprofit and for-profit companies, national laboratories, state and local governments, and Tribal Nations to apply. Awardees will span all types of energy delivery infrastructure and will address a diverse array of potential threats across energy production, generation, transmission, or distribution, the agency said.
