Photo: Eversource
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Eversource announced on Tuesday that both it and the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth were selected for the U.S. Department of Energy Speed to Power (SPARK) award.
The energy company and the institution received the award for their Dynamic Rating Enhancement Advancements and Modernization initiative, also known as DREAM.
It was a collaborative creation between Eversource and Dartmouth Engineering and developed by Dartmouth Professor Junbo Zaho and his team with a goal to increase capacity on existing grids, improve system resiliency, and lower energy costs for customers.
The project would see dynamic line rating technology deployed across approximately 4,000 miles of Eversource's transmission network in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire in 2027.
That tech would provide operators with improved, real-time visibility into system conditions and allow for more efficient use. It would also leverage thermal field sensing, which would provide more data on operating conditions.
Eversource President of Transmission Bill Quinlan said in a statement, “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with DOE and Dartmouth Engineering to demonstrate how advanced, state-of-the-art grid technologies can help meet the region's evolving energy needs with an ever-present focus on affordability for our customers.”
Eversource and Dartmouth Engineering will continue the partnership as they work on award negotiations with the DOE. Depending on negotiations, the SPARK award could bring in around $47.7 million in funding for the DREAM initiative.
More information on the DOE SPARK program can be found on the DOE’s website here.