 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) announced the Solar and Wind Interconnection for Future Transmission (SWIFTR) funding opportunity, which will provide up to $10 million to develop new analytical tools and approaches that will accelerate the reliable interconnection of renewable energy into the electrical grid. SWIFTR projects will facilitate the secure and reliable integration of solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage systems into the nation's electrical grid and the transition to an equitable decarbonized electrical system by 2035. New clean energy generation and storage resources need to be integrated into the electrical grid through a process known as interconnection. The high volume of interconnection requests and complexities of interconnection processes have led to uncertainties, delays, and higher costs for developers seeking to connect new clean energy generation to the grid. This leads to a more difficult and costly energy transition. This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks applications to address the challenges in the transmission system interconnection processes by creating software tools that can accurately simulate the effect of new clean energy plants on existing grid infrastructure, and by providing detailed, secure data to project developers. The SWIFTR FOA is part of DOE's Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program. In 2023, i2X released a draft roadmap that outlines goals, solutions, and metrics for the transmission system interconnection process. This FOA addresses two goals in the draft roadmap—maintaining a reliable and resilient grid and increasing interconnection data access and transparency. Prior to submitting a full application for this opportunity, a mandatory concept paper is due on April 17 at 5 p.m. ET. Learn more about this funding opportunity and other open funding opportunities within DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. | 
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