NSF taps Clemson for energy grid innovation

Federal investment of up to $160 million in multi-institutional, public-private collaboration to nurture technological innovation and workforce development to meet the nation’s rising demand for reliable electricity.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) today announced Clemson University as a key player in its effort to modernize the nation’s electric grid.

Clemson was named a founding partner in the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas (Carolinas Grid Engine), one of the agency’s newest Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines). Carolinas Grid Engine will develop, test, commercialize and deploy technologies that address one of the nation’s most pressing infrastructure challenges.

“Our state-of-the-art Dominion Energy Innovation Center at Clemson’s Charleston Innovation Campus boasts the infrastructure, technical expertise and testing capabilities needed to address complex energy challenges and innovate next generation grid technologies,” said Cole Smith, Clemson University executive vice president for academic affairs and provost.

The engine will accelerate adoption of solutions that improve grid reliability, strengthen domestic supply chains and help the United States meet rapidly growing electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, data centers and population growth.

The award includes an initial $15 million investment over two years, with the potential for up to $160 million over the next decade based on performance milestones. Led by the University of North Carolina Charlotte, Carolinas Grid Engine core partners include Clemson, the South Carolina Research Authority, York Technical College, Joules Accelerator and E4 Carolinas, along with more than 100 public and private partners that will support the project.

Clemson’s Charleston Innovation Campus will support the development, validation and testing of grid-enhancing technologies, smart and hybrid transformers, grid inverters, energy storage systems and other emerging technologies designed to deliver electricity across the grid more safely, reliably and cost-effectively.

Housed at Clemson’s Dominion Energy Innovation Center in Charleston, the Duke Energy eGRID can emulate the electrical grid of any region in the world, allowing real-world testing of emerging energy technologies. A new mobile grid emulator called EDGE will more than double the center’s power-rating capabilities and allow for on-location testing anywhere in the Carolinas. EDGE, secured with funding as part of the SC NEXUS for Advanced Resilient Energy technology hub, is a high-powered grid simulator on wheels.

In addition to EDGE, Clemson is adding a walk-in thermal chamber at its eGRID facility that will allow technologies to be tested at varying temperatures and humidity levels, said Ramtin Hadidi, co-chief technology officer of the Carolinas Grid Engine and an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clemson.

Spanning a 36-county region, the NSF Grid Modernization Engine in the Carolinas brings together more than 100 universities, utilities, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, workforce organizations, investors, economic development organizations and state and local governments to create a nationally significant innovation ecosystem for grid modernization. In addition to Clemson and other core partners, collaborators include Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, Santee Cooper, EPRI, Siemens Energy, Honeywell, Nucor and the North and South Carolina Departments of Commerce.

The NSF Engines program forms a connected national network that supports large-scale regional partnerships focused on accelerating the development and deployment of critical technologies, growing regional economies and strengthening America’s global competitiveness. Carolinas Grid Engine is one of only 12 engines selected from nearly 300 teams that entered the national competition.