[ad_1]
Fifteen semiconductor projects across 11 states have been selected for $42 million in funding by the United States Department of Energy (DOE).
The projects aim to improve the reliability, resiliency, and flexibility of the domestic power grid through the development of next-generation semiconductor technologies, the DOE said in a media release.
Funded through the DOE’s Unlocking Lasting Transformative Resiliency Advances by Faster Actuation of Power Semiconductor Technologies (ULTRAFAST) program, the technologies being developed would enable more effective control of grid power flow and better protection of critical infrastructure assets, according to the DOE.
The department said that streamlining the coordinated operation of electricity supply and demand will improve operational efficiency, prevent unforeseen outages, allow faster recovery, minimize the impacts of natural disasters and climate change-fueled extreme weather events, and reduce grid operating costs and carbon intensity.
The decision is in line with President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda to modernize the nation’s power grid, accelerate the deployment of clean energy resources, and boost America’s energy and national security, the DOE said.
“Modernizing our nation’s aging power grid is critical to strengthening our national and energy security, and absolutely essential to reaching President Biden’s ambitious goal of a net-zero economy by 2050,” said US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This new investment will support project teams across the country as they develop the innovative technologies we need to strengthen our grid security and bring reliable clean electricity to more families and businesses—all while combatting the climate crisis.”
The selectees are GaNify (State College, PA, $3,060,000); Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, GA, $2,700,000); Great Lakes Crystal Technologies (East Lansing, MI, $2,301,538); Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA, $3,000,000); NextWatt (Hoffman Estates, IL, $2,268,750); Opcondys (Manteca, CA, $3,178,977); RTX Technology Research Center (East Hartford, CT, $2,500,000); Sandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM, $2,560,000); Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX, $3,070,735); University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR, $2,931,177); University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR, $2,931,177); University of California, Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA, $3,122,356); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL, $2,982,311); University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA, $2,240,309); University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI, $2,990,321); University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Knoxville, TN, $2,759,821).
GaNify will develop an optically isolated, power-integrated building block that would enable enhanced control of power electronics converters for a more efficient and reliable grid.
Sandia National Laboratories will develop a novel solid-state surge arrester that would protect the grid from very fast electromagnetic pulses that threaten reliability and performance, the DOE said.
To contact the author, email andreson.n.paul@gmail.com
[ad_2]
Source link