The Grid Resilience Analysis and Climate Change Impacts funding (GRACI) opportunity allows the development of a consortium of universities, non-profit, and for-profit organizations to provide technical assistance to grant recipients of the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants Program. The primary role of these research consortia is to accelerate analysis of climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure, describe best practices for grid operations and investments, and provide additional information and analysis to state energy officials, public service commissions, and utilities to aid in grid resilience planning and decision-making.

The Grid Deployment Office will fund one regional-focused consortium of universities, for profit and non-profit organizations over an initial one-year performance period. The grant funds are intended to support the implementation of existing models, tools and methodologies that would allow rapid decision-making for states to implement grid resilience projects under the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant Program.

GDO will further evaluate and prioritize applications to ensure that funded projects support state energy officials, public service commissions, tribes and/or utilities in grid resilience planning and decision-making that relates to understanding climate change threats and impacts on electric grid infrastructure.

The models, tools and methodologies proposed in the analysis should be capable of implementation and use within the one-year initial period of performance and should be adaptable to meet milestones developed in collaboration with the GDO and a Technical Advisory Group.

Each organization may apply separately. The DOE will select applicants to form the regional consortium. The consortium performers are expected to collaborate in the development of deliverables that may include recommendations on how climate impacts should impact engineering standards and approaches used by grid operators.