Topic #: CW26-T14 · Branch: DOE · Status: Open
The Office of Electricity (OE) leads U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to ensure the affordability, reliability and security of the electrical grid. Securing energy dominance, costeffectiveness, and national security is paramount, alongside driving the deployment of groundbreaking grid innovations. DOE is interested in innovative projects that will stabilize, optimize and grow the grid by enhancing reliability, affordability, security and system capacity through one or more of the areas of interest below.
Posted: 10/30/2026 · Opens: 10/30/2026
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The Office of Electricity (OE) leads U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to ensure the affordability, reliability and security of the electrical grid. Securing energy dominance, costeffectiveness, and national security is paramount, alongside driving the deployment of groundbreaking grid innovations. DOE is interested in innovative projects that will stabilize, optimize and grow the grid by enhancing reliability, affordability, security and system capacity through one or more of the areas of interest below.
Areas of Interest • Cybersecurity, cyber resilient frameworks and architectures, secure grid communications, and grid supply chain security. • Grid enhancing technologies, materials, components and operations tools and techniques, including solutions that improve the efficient use of grid infrastructure. • Advanced Microgrid design, operations, control and monitoring technologies. • Advanced stationary energy storage technology development—spanning energy storage materials, system-level architectures, battery safety & validation, and grid-tied integration tools. • Analysis tools, techniques and capabilities that support and fast-track large load (e.g. data centers; manufacturing) interconnections.
Goals and Metrics Applications submitted under this topic must explicitly articulate the merit of the proposed innovation relative to competing solutions (where applicable) and outline the anticipated and measurable metrics, outcomes and benefits, including how the proposed solution advances the state of the art. Applicants must justify and support any performance claims in order to sufficiently demonstrate the viability of the solution. Finally, applicants must justify the strong commercialization potential of their solution by detailing a viable pathway for scaling up in prospective Phase II and Phase III efforts. Proposed solutions must support the Office of Electricity's core vision of a seamless, resilient grid that satisfies all energy demands and powers the United States on a trajectory of prosperity, security, and energy dominance.
Additional considerations pertinent to this topic include Quantumand SI-enabled approaches are eligible where they directly address the program office's mission and technical objectives.
Not of Interest • Applications that are substantially duplicative of work already solicited or funded through DOE's Genesis Mission may be considered nonresponsive.
• Applications that include focus on non-dispatchable, intermittent generation are considered not of interest and will not be reviewed.
Reference 1. Office of Electricity Strategic Plan, U.S. Department of Energy (2024), https://www.energy.gov/oe/office-electricity-strategic-plan.
Chapter 2: Science Topics