Generac selected by DOE to enhance U.S. power grid

Generac announced it has been selected for negotiations by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive a $50 million grant to enhance the U.S. power grid’s ability to deliver affordable, clean energy to lower income homeowners in Massachusetts.

“We’d like to thank the DOE for this opportunity and look forward to working with the state and our partners to lead the evolution to more resilient, efficient and sustainable energy solutions for the residents of Massachusetts,” said Aaron Jagdfeld, president and chief executive officer of Generac.

Funding from this grant would be used to install the company’s suite of whole-home energy solutions in homes across the state.

This includes behind-the-meter wi-fi thermostats and batteries, and optimizing the use of electric heat pumps in combination with batteries and thermostats to improve reliability for residents.

The funds are part of the federal Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership (GRIP) program, which seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.

The state of Massachusetts, electric utilities and energy efficiency program managers in the state will play a critical role in this project by providing incentives for electric heat pump installations through the MassSaves program.

The project will demonstrate the firm’s capacity to, “integrate multiple energy technologies to support residents, while providing valuable grid services to benefit both the grid and the residents,” said the energy technology company. 

It will exhibit how efficient building electrification is possible while minimizing system overloads, reliability issues, and the need for infrastructure upgrades.

This project, said the energy company, will engage local community leaders to bring benefits such as increased resiliency and job opportunities for communities with projects and will develop a replicable model that can be scaled to communities across the country.

“Along with providing reliability and economic benefits, the project will support Massachusetts’ decarbonization and GHG reduction goals,” said the firm.