Electric Grid Resilience
The growing demand for electric power will continue to increase as North Carolina transitions to clean energy. The state is committed to meeting that demand, which is why North Carolina is working to enhance the electric grid. By strengthening and modernizing the electric grid and improving its resilience against extreme weather and climate change, the grid's capacity will increase, residents will see less and shorter service interruptions, and renewable energy sources will be more easily interconnected.
Learn more about North Carolina's grid resilience initiatives and projects.
U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grants Program
Preventing Outages While Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid
North Carolina is improving the electric grid’s resilience through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State/Tribal Formula Grants Program (Section 40101d). Authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Section 40101d provides $2.3 billion in formula grants over five years to States and Tribes to modernize, strengthen and improve resilience of the electric grid against natural disasters and disruptive events.
For the first two years of the grant, North Carolina received approximately $18.4 million and plans to administer funding to subawardees following a competitive proposal selection. Selected projects will reduce the likelihood and consequences of grid failure due to natural disasters.
Grid modernization: Add grid technologies that strengthen resilience and increase the flexibility of the grid.
Equitable access to resilient and reliable energy: Invest in projects that will improve energy reliability and resiliency in disadvantaged communities, which are more impacted by outages and subject to higher energy burdens.
Equitable workforce development: Commit to equitable workforce development through projects that will attract, train and retrain an appropriately skilled workforce.
U.S. Department of Energy's Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program
North Carolina Innovative Transmission Rebuild
North Carolina is partnering with Duke Energy to invest in the grid and enhance its flexibility, improve resilience, and ensure affordable and reliable electricity for North Carolinians. Implementing advanced technology, the North Carolina Innovative Transmission Rebuild project will reconstruct the Lee-Milburnie 230 kV transmission line, incorporating high temperature, low-sag advanced conductors and monopole steel structures that will enhance resilience and reliability within the existing right of way.
The state was selected for funding for this project in the amount of $57 million. Duke Energy is providing the same amount in match, making the project total $114 million.
- Reduced customer interruptions: 14,000 utility customers, who live in an area susceptible to the impacts of hurricanes and strong storms, will see an estimated 10% reduction in the length of service interruptions.
- Preparing for growth: Increased line capacity will support 1,600 MW of solar and 260 MW of energy storage, readying the grid for the anticipated load growth in the area. The support structures will also be designed to accommodate another line, paving the way for even more capacity in the future.
- Optimized right-of-way: Rebuilding the transmission line in place— utilizing the existing right of way—will minimize the impact to communities during construction and will cost less than a new greenfield transmission line.
- New jobs and workforce training: The project will create 550 new positions that can be filled through partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and local community colleges. The project also dedicates more than $3 million to workforce development and training
More About Grid Resilience in NC
North Carolina is the second-highest state in the nation for average electric power service interruptions per customer in total duration, averaging roughly eleven hours annually. In recent years, the state has faced multiple natural disasters. Storms are becoming stronger and more intense, taking an enormous toll on human life, the environment, public health, and our economy.
Overall, the goal of the power grid and transmission system is to deliver reliable electricity at a reasonable cost. Weather-related hazards and other stressors to the system work against these goals by lowering efficiency of both the grid and transmission system and reducing the overall capacity. Additionally, long duration and large-scale outages impact hospitals and other critical services, halting emergency assistance for those in disadvantaged communities.
The state is exploring several options to enhance the electric system’s adaptive capacity during disruptive events, such as:
Using and equipping microgrids with renewable energy and battery storage devices
Hardening the grid/transmission infrastructure
Undergrounding existing distribution and transmission lines
Reducing demand for power
Modernizing existing grid assets with smart meters, controllers and automation
Leveraging analytics to manage a diverse source of power supply, transmission and distribution system components