Top energy official tours A&M lab built to stress-test the power grid
A U.S. Department of Energy official toured Texas A&M's Smart Grid Center to highlight research aimed at protecting the power grid. Assistant Secretary Katie Jereza noted a significant surge in electricity demand nationwide, largely driven by data centers, artificial intelligence, and manufacturing. The center's lab simulates cyberattacks and equipment failures to test new technologies and improve grid resilience.
Assistant Secretary Katie Jereza, who leads the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity, visited Texas A&M's Smart Grid Center at the RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas. Jereza showcased the center's research, including a control room lab that simulates cyberattacks, equipment failures, and other disruptions to enhance the electric grid's protection and reliability.
Jereza highlighted a significant national increase in electricity demand, attributing it primarily to the growth of data centers, advancements in artificial intelligence, and the return of manufacturing to the United States. She specifically noted Texas's substantial demand growth despite a leveling off in other regions.
The visit followed the Department of Energy's announcement of $1.9 billion in funding for 31 nationwide transmission upgrade projects under its "Spark" initiative. This program, according to Jereza, aims to boost the capacity of existing power lines and is expected to benefit approximately 100 million people.
Smart Grid Center Director Tom Overbye emphasized the center's role in combining research, training, and hands-on experience for engineers. Jereza also referenced past grid failures in Texas, such as the 2021 winter storm, as a key motivation for developing better modeling and planning tools to prevent future disturbances.