Safety, Security, and Resilience of Energy Infrastructure and Assets

Modernizing our electrical grid is a tremendous undertaking, requiring the coordination and collaboration of a wide range of stakeholders spanning federal and local governments, the energy industry, electric utilities and—perhaps most importantly—the myriad of consumers. Sandia supports the DOE, DHS, and DOD efforts to modernize the electric grid by providing R&D of new transformational energy technologies; analyses of the technical, economic, and national security implications of the loss or disruption of critical civilian and military energy infrastructures; and assisting in the understanding and technology development of infrastructure protection and infrastructure disruption mitigation, response, and recovery options.

Areas of Expertise

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Supporting 29 projects nationwide and leading the Security & Resiliency research pillar.

Developing technologies to maintain electric-grid function in the face of disruptive threats—both natural and manufactured.

Integrating renewable energy into the electric grid.

Working with industry to take full advantage of the potential that this connectivity represents while also safeguarding these tools against exploitation by adversaries.

Enhancing grid services through the development of energy storage technologies.

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Addressing defense energy security challenges throughout the entire technology life cycle.

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Applying engineering principles to achieve complete systems-view solutions.

Exploring advanced microgrids to integrate distributed generation with power controls and optimized resource allocation for islanded and grid-tied systems.

Sandia’s Research in Ultrawide Bandgap Technology Could Help Improve the Grid

Sandia researchers are currently studying how ultrawide bandgap semiconductor materials could be used to create more compact and efficient power electronics, potentially leading to higher absolute voltages for distributing power grid energy. These materials, such [...]

Sandia Joins Forces with Singapore Energy Market Authority to Develop Energy Storage Test-Bed

Sandia National Laboratories’ Energy Storage Projects team within the Stationary Energy Storage Program is working with the government of Singapore’s Energy Market Authority (EMA) to help set up Singapore’s first grid energy storage test-bed. This [...]

Microgrid Webinar Addresses Mission Assurance and Energy Security with Advanced Microgrid Designs

On October 13th, Mike Hightower of Sandia National Laboratories led two webinars on microgrids and energy assurance as part of Energy Action Month. Mike along with other Sandia engineers and scientists have been researching energy [...]

Installation of New England’s Largest Battery Energy Storage System is Underway

NEC Energy Solutions has begun the installation and commissioning of a 2 MW, 3.9MWh GSS® grid energy storage solution for the Sterling Municipal Light Department (SMLD) in Sterling, Massachusetts. Once complete in December 2016, it [...]