The New York Power Authority and the Long Island Power Authority are included among the participants in a three-year effort to develop a next-generation grid foundation model. New York-based Brookhaven National Laboratory will lead the project.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has been selected by DOE to lead a $14.2 million project through the Genesis Mission Phase II Request for Application (RFA).
The award to Brookhaven and its collaborators will support three years of research to develop a next-generation grid foundation model (GridFM), an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can rapidly simulate scenarios for adding new loads to the electric grid.
With the goal of building a model that can simulate 1 billion scenarios in 24 hours, the project aims to significantly accelerate grid expansion planning with optimal accuracy, affordability, and efficiency in operations.
The funding was announced on Sept. 1 at Brookhaven Lab by DOE Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) Catherine Jereza.
OE is administering the funding for this Genesis Mission project, called “Foundation Models for the Electric Grid: From Proof of Concept to Real-world Impacts.” $3.9 million of the total project funds will be allocated to Brookhaven, with the rest being shared by collaborating institutions.
“This project represents a bold step forward to supercharge scientific discovery using artificial intelligence to modernize America’s electric grid,” Assistant Secretary Jereza said. “By providing utilities enhanced AI tools, they can plan and operate the grid faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively to help meet the demands of a growing economy while delivering affordable, reliable power for homes and businesses while unleashing American energy dominance.”
“This award reflects DOE’s confidence in Brookhaven Lab to bring together science, artificial intelligence, and strong partnerships to address challenges of national importance,” said Brookhaven Lab Director John Hill. “As electricity demand continues to grow, we need new approaches to strengthen, expand, and efficiently operate the nation’s electric grid. We’re proud to lead this effort and to work with an outstanding team to turn innovation into real-world impact for America’s energy future.”
Details on the other GridFM Genesis Mission Phase II project collaborators are available here,
The GridFM initiative, on a larger scale, is a community project spanning industry, academia, and government, with contributions from more than 150 organizations.
The initiative is strengthened by collaboration between utilities — which provide operational data and system experience — and researchers and technology providers, who provide AI expertise and computing resources. Open-source development of GridFM is administered and managed in partnership with the Linux Foundation Energy.
