The Department of Energy will invest up to $40 million to finance a new initiative to develop technologies for the construction of underground medium-voltage power distribution grids in urban and suburban communities.
On Thursday, the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy said that the funding will support the creation of technologies to automate installation, prevent damage and eliminate errors and underground obstacles.
“We know that by undergrounding our grid, we can create a more resilient and reliable U.S. power grid. But right now, we need to develop the solutions to make the process safer and more cost-effective,” said Evelyn Wang, director of ARPA-E.
Selected teams under the Grid Overhaul with Proactive, High-speed Undergrounding for Reliability, Resilience and Security program will create high-speed construction tools, advanced look-ahead sensors and automated cable splicing systems.
