US DOE Invests $23 Million in Ten Projects to Boost Energy System Security and Resilience
“From leveraging quantum-based technologies to deploying advanced sensors, DOE is making strategic investments to secure energy systems against climate, cyber, and physical threats,”
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an investment of nearly US$23 million in ten projects aimed at enhancing the security, resilience, and reliability of the nation’s energy systems. These selected projects will focus on developing advanced tools and technologies to protect energy systems from various threats, including cyber, physical, and natural hazards.
The projects, selected by the DOE Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), will research to advance mitigation strategies for various threats to the energy sector, including cyber and physical threats, climate-based hazards, and natural disasters.
The DOE also identified that the broad nature of the funding opportunity allowed CESER to select a diverse group of awardees, including cybersecurity technology companies, regional utilities, and academic partners, including a historically black college and university (HBCU). Competitively selected projects displayed innovation in methods or techniques, opportunities for positive impact, and scalability across multiple energy systems.
“From leveraging quantum-based technologies to deploying advanced sensors, DOE is making strategic investments to secure energy systems against climate, cyber, and physical threats,” Puesh M. Kumar, director of CESER, outlined in a Thursday media statement. “This work is accomplished through robust partnerships with academia, industry, and technology companies. We know it will take the best and brightest to fully realize a secure and resilient energy future for all Americans, and the funding we are announcing today is a significant step toward that goal.”
The announcement will also help drive research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) needed to achieve President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ clean energy and climate goals while enhancing the resilience of America’s energy sector.
Among the selected projects, Brigham Young University will develop and demonstrate quantum-based technology to enhance communications across distributed energy resource (DER) infrastructure and implement it within a zero-trust architecture (ZTA).
The New York University will improve physical security monitoring systems at substations using distributed fiber-optic sensing technology that can detect intrusions more accurately and in detail than existing sensors. Also, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the selected HBCU, will develop a scalable, flexible, and cost-effective cyber-physical platform capable of simulating a large-scale electric power grid with multiple DERs under various cyber and physical contingencies.
Also included are Operant Networks which will integrate security and access control across energy systems’ devices by focusing on next-generation ZTA and demonstrate its interoperability with commonly used operational technology (OT) cybersecurity tools. The Research Foundation for the State University of New York (SUNY RF) will create a more accurate fire spread prediction model and implement a comprehensive situational awareness system that tracks fire arrival times to critical energy assets and infrastructure. Southern California Edison will employ innovative technologies to enable DER to continue operating while detecting or mitigating a cyber threat and achieve reliable, self-organizing monitoring and control during a cyber attack.
The DOE disclosed that the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station was selected for two climate-based projects. One project will better prepare the electric grid for extreme weather and other natural hazards by building engineering software tools that include these scenarios in power grid simulations. In contrast, the other project will develop machine learning programming to help detect and identify failing devices using high-fidelity, real-time feeder data, enabling utility operators to fix the equipment before a fire ignites. Further, Texas A&M University will integrate light, camera, and siren systems into the GDI Gun Detection System to harden substation infrastructure and reduce power outages from physical damage or intrusions.
Lastly, the University of North Dakota will create a comprehensive security solution for detecting, classifying, and responding to physical and climate-based threats to substations by integrating advanced sensor equipment, machine learning algorithms, and a data system that can leverage information from multiple devices without compromising security.
In July, the DOE announced that applications are now open for its OT Defender Fellowship 2025 Cohort. This initiative aims to expand the network of cyber defenders and enhance cybersecurity in the nation’s energy sector through education and public-private partnerships.
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