DOE Energy Security and Grid Resilience Cohorts

This year, DOE is launching state working groups to provide forums for peer sharing and expert input on key energy security and grid resilience topics.

State Energy Security Plans serve as critical playbooks for state and territory governments to assess and enhance their energy resilience and security.

The DOE Energy Security and Grid Resilience Cohorts are an opportunity for state energy offices, public utility commissions, consumer advocates, and emergency management agencies from different states to exchange ideas and input on best practices for advancing critical energy topics in their state.

The DOE Energy Security and Grid Resilience Cohorts represent a joint effort between the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER) and the Grid Deployment Office (GDO) in collaboration with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to respond to state needs associated with implementation of federal grid resilience funding and development of state energy security plans (SESPs).

Please review the cohort topics below and only select the cohort(s) you want to participate in. Registration closed on March 15.

DOE will try to accommodate state preferences to the best of our abilities based on demand
States may participate in multiple cohorts, provided they have sufficient capacity to participate fully in each
Each individual should register separately for each cohort.

Cohort Topics (see table below for more information on each topic)
- Grid Resilience Grant Implementation
- Risk Assessment Approaches
- Grid Resilience Metrics
- Risk Mitigation Strategies
- Regulatory Mechanisms to Support Grid Resilience
- Resilience Valuation Frameworks
Eligibility:
- State energy offices
- State public utilities commissions
- State emergency management agencies
- State consumer advocates
- See cohort descriptions below for additional eligibility information
Time commitment (per cohort):
- Participate in monthly virtual meetings (2 hours/month)
- Prep work between meetings and post-meeting surveys (<2 hours/month)
- Join for one in-person meeting (travel funds may be available)

Please note:

DOE may launch additional cohorts in 2024, consistent with additional feedback and state needs.
DOE and the leadership team may limit individual subscriptions based on volume.
Please note you'll be expected to be an active participant in the cohorts.

Table 1: Cohort Descriptions

Participant Benefits	Discussion Topics	Recommended for
Grid Resilience Grant Implementation (March-December 2024)
Become familiar with best practice approaches to soliciting, assessing, and selecting subawards/projects Exchange best practices, examples, and pitfalls to avoid when implementing 40101(d) Collaborate on solutions to implementation challenges	How to support access to grants for smaller and under resourced utilities Models and examples of subgrant program structure (including application templates, spreadsheets, back-end tracking, and reporting) Workforce and equity considerations in implementing 40101(d) Emerging and new technologies	Lead agencies for 40101(d) Grid Resilience Formula Grants
Risk Assessment Approaches (March-December 2024)
Become familiar with best practices for assessing threats, vulnerabilities, and consequences Understand available risk assessment tools and how to use them Exchange expertise and examples with a network of peers Collaborate on a replicable risk assessment template to strengthen elements 3 and 4 of the State Energy Security Plans	Assessing threats and consequences to the asset, community, and system Methodologies for preparing risk assessments, with attention to critical energy infrastructure and future climate risk Best practices in private sector engagement to enhance risk assessment understanding Alignment of vulnerability and threat assessments in State Energy Security Plans, State Resilience Plans, Utility Resilience Plans, Hazard Mitigation Plans, Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment	State PUCs State energy offices State emergency management agencies
Grid Resilience Metrics (April-August 2024)
Identify potential metrics to measure resilience (current metrics, modifications to current metrics, new metrics) and explore tradeoffs Strengthen your understanding of how to leverage metrics for resilience planning or operations Explore rate implications of tracking metrics	Exploration of new and existing metrics related to resilience DER topics (e.g., island capabilities, deployment forecasts) Critical facilities Customer-centric outage metrics	State PUCs State energy offices
Risk Mitigation Strategies (March-December 2024)
Exchange mitigation approaches with other states and territories (inclusive of electricity, fuels, transportation) Link Risk Assessment outcomes with prioritization of mitigation measures Explore how regional coordination of mitigation approaches may strengthen plans	Identifying Risk Mitigation Measures to address Risk Problem Statements Establishing evaluation criteria for evaluating and prioritizing identified risk mitigation measures Leveraging effective stakeholder engagement to inform risk mitigation strategies	State PUCs State energy offices State emergency management agencies
Regulatory Mechanisms to Support Grid Resilience (May-September 2024)
Broaden your understanding of regulatory mechanisms to address grid resilience, their tradeoffs, and implications for your jurisdiction Explore regulatory implications of federal funding (e.g., recovery for cost match) Consider challenges, solutions, and next steps for your jurisdiction	Cost recovery mechanisms and federal funding implications Tradeoffs associated with regulatory mechanisms, including: Performance-based ratemaking, Alternative ratemaking structures, Traditional cost of service (COS) Tariff mechanisms Procurement targets	State PUCs State consumer advocates
Resilience Valuation Frameworks (March-July 2024)
Understand how to establish grid resilience valuation methodologies Identify new valuation methodologies needed to evaluate and prioritize grid resilience infrastructure proposals Collaborate on a list of needed inputs in ‘value of resilience’ equations	Identifying the full range of grid and other resilience benefits Existing methodologies for resilience valuations Defining “resilience value” in a variety of customer classes and use-cases Comparison of utility and non-utility resilience solutions Strategies for evaluating and prioritizing utility investment proposals	State PUCs State consumer advocates

For more information about the cohorts email: Rebecca O’Neil, PNNL.

Research topics

Grid Cybersecurity

Grid Resilience and Decarbonization

Cybersecurity

Resilience and Security

DOE Energy Security and Grid Resilience Cohorts

Research topics

Lab-Level Communications Priority Topics