Siemens Corporation, a global energy and technology leader, and three Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories are teaming up to conduct integrated experiments within their respective R&D facilities to test and validate novel software and hardware technologies needed to strengthen and modernize the nation’s electric grid.
Their joint efforts would enhance the technological, scientific, educational, and industrial development of power electronics needed for a reliable and economic power supply in the 21st century.
This agreement – formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – announced at the Innovation XLab Grid Modernization Summit in Seattle, WA, was signed by Siemens Corporate Technology , the company’s central research and development unit located in Princeton, NJ, and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO; Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN; and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA.
The MOU establishes a framework for research scientists to share information and resources, and to potentially collaborate on technologies to help integrate innovative power electronic devices with the electric grid, including smart inverters for solar panels, batteries, and electrical vehicles that are capable of supporting the nation’s power system. The MOU may also lead to jointly-led scientific workshops, lectures, and symposia, as well as co-written publications and journal articles.
The potential collaboration is expected to leverage Siemens experience commercializing innovative power system technologies by supplying its Software Defined Inverter (SDI) technology, which would be tested and validated at specialized grid facilities at the three national laboratories. This promising new technology, once validated, could be incorporated into new technologies to strengthen and modernize the nation’s electric grid, including microgrids and distributed energy resources such as energy storage.
“Siemens is committed to developing innovative technologies needed to ensure that the power grid of the future is more resilient, secure, and capable of supporting distributed and low-carbon power generation assets,” said Ulrich Muenz, Siemens Corporate Technology research group head. “Collaborating with the Department of Energy’s U.S. National Laboratories and co-creating with the nation’s energy community is crucial to modernizing and enhancing America’s energy infrastructure.”
The MOU covers a five-year period with provisions to renew or extend the MOU.
About Siemens Corporation
Siemens Corporation is a U.S. subsidiary of Siemens AG, a global powerhouse focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is a leading supplier of systems for power generation and transmission as well as medical diagnosis. With approximately 379,000 employees in 190 countries, Siemens reported worldwide revenue of $94.0 billion in fiscal 2018. Siemens in the USA reported revenue of $23.7 billion, including $5.0 billion in exports, and employs approximately 50,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico.
About National Renewable Energy Laboratory
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. NREL is operated for the Energy Department by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC.
About Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory provides exceptional researchers with distinctive equipment and unique facilities to solve some of the nation’s most compelling challenges. As the largest U.S. Department of Energy open science laboratory, ORNL’s mission is to deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs that will accelerate the development and deployment of solutions in clean energy and global security while creating economic opportunities for the nation. UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the DOE’s Office of Science. Learn more about the lab at http://www.ornl.gov/news
About Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on signature capabilities in chemistry, earth sciences, and data analytics to advance scientific discovery and create solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.
