PWC Awarded Grant to Improve Electric Reliability
October 18, 2024
Fayetteville, N.C.- Today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that Fayetteville PWC (PWC) is a U.S. Department of Energy Awardee and will receive a multi-million dollar matching grant to install new software and advanced technologies to improve electric reliability for customers. The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions. Learn more at energy.gov.
PWC applied for $11,436,783 grant through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program. In addition, there is a recipient cost share of $12,299,571. The funds will support PWC’s Situational Awareness and System Automation Solutions to install technology engineered to allow for PWC to quickly and easily manage the energy distribution system, protecting infrastructure and improving the reliability of the system. The goal is to improve the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) by 25%. For PWC customers, this will mean they will experience shorter power outages.
“Our goal is to provide customers with safe, reliable and affordable electric services,” said Jon Rynne, Chief Officer for PWC’s Electric System Division. “The technology funded by this Department of Energy grant will allow PWC to quickly isolate an outage, quickly and safely restore services, and improve reliability for customers.”
One of the technologies made possible by this program will be the Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS). DERMS will provide the platform necessary for real‐time monitoring, management, and dispatch of resources. The DERMS platform will enable PWC to fully leverage its three planned new solar farms, which will come online over the next three years.
A final component of the grant is establishing a Partnership Advisory Group that will bring together local education, business, and community agencies. Through these partnerships, PWC will provide procurement, hiring, and workforce development opportunities throughout the community.
About the Fayetteville Public Works Commission:
Fayetteville PWC is a municipally-owned utility that provides electric and water service to over 121,000 customers in Fayetteville/Cumberland County (NC). A six-time recipient of the RP3 Diamond Designation from the APPA, PWC was also the first utility in the state to receive the Partnership for Safe Drinking Water’s Director’s Award.
About the Grid Deployment Office:
The mission of the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) is to catalyze the development of new and upgraded electric infrastructure across the country by maintaining and investing in critical generation facilities; developing and upgrading high-capacity electric transmission lines nationwide; and deploying transmission and distribution technologies. Learn more at energy.gov/gdo.
