Technologies selected for the Disruptive DC Converters for Grid Resilient Infrastructure to Deliver Sustainable energy (DC-GRIDS) program aim to make the nation’s power grid more robust to support American-made energy for all. Renewable energy is coming online throughout the U.S. at breakneck speed, and the grid’s capacity must triple to quadruple in the coming decades to bring new power sources online. Yet many of the technologies that form the backbone of the U.S. grid have not been updated in over half a century. One major barrier to adopting new solutions is their cost competitiveness.

Find the DC-GRIDS Notice of Funding Opportunity here.

DC-GRIDS focuses on improving the market readiness of one facet of the grid, power electronics converters, that could drastically improve its capacity. Much of today’s grid runs on alternating current (AC) but using direct current (DC) transmission can transport electricity over longer distances with less electricity lost. Substations that convert direct current to alternating current, or vice versa, while performing multi-way power rerouting, are critical for building out new grid capacity.  

DC-GRIDS projects will investigate new ways to bring down the initial investment costs of multi-terminal high-voltage direct current (HVDC) substations. Project teams will focus on improving the high-performance modular valves used in multi-terminal HVDC converters and updating converter substation technologies and designs to be more compact. 

High-voltage DC transmission lines could more than triple the capacity of existing high-voltage AC lines, dramatically expanding and accelerating energy availability for U.S. homes and businesses. These lines are well-suited for offshore wind, losing very little power over long distances, and offer better flexibility for onboarding new energy sources such as solar and nuclear power. DC-GRIDS supports the Department of Energy’s 2023 HVDC moonshot initiative to reduce costs of HVDC and long-distance transmission costs.

HVDC converter station components require long manufacturing times and occupy a very large footprint or volume with complicated permitting and transportation requirements. These factors render HVDC solutions very expensive with long development times and are limiting for space-constrained urban areas and offshore applications. DC-GRIDS aims to develop converter technologies that would bring the initial investment cost of multi-terminal HVDC stations down to levels comparable to AC substations. 

This ambitious program intends to lower costs, standardize designs, and reduce footprint of multi-terminal HVDC converter stations. Impacts of DC-GRIDS include: