Operation and Planning Tools for Inverter-based Resource Management and Availability for future power systems (OPTIMA), DE-FOA-0003034 | DE FOA 0003034

Opportunity Information: Apply for DE FOA 0003034

The Operation and Planning Tools for Inverter-based Resource Management and Availability for future power systems (OPTIMA), DE-FOA-0003034, is a U.S. Department of Energy funding opportunity run through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), specifically the Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), with the Golden Field Office listed as the issuing agency office. The opportunity is set up to fund research, development, and demonstration work that helps the electric grid operate reliably as it shifts toward much higher levels of variable renewable generation, especially solar, and as more of the grid connects through inverter-based power electronics rather than traditional synchronous machines.

At its core, OPTIMA is about modernizing the software and analytical methods that grid planners and grid operators rely on. As renewable penetration rises, power systems face new operational realities: more variability and uncertainty in generation, different dynamic behavior because inverters respond differently than conventional generators, and a growing need to understand how large fleets of inverter-based resources (IBRs) behave individually and collectively. This FOA aims to produce state-of-the-art planning and operations tools that can better represent, forecast, manage, and optimize these inverter-based resources so that solar and other clean energy resources can be integrated more effectively, used more efficiently, and relied on more confidently without sacrificing grid reliability.

The problem statement behind the FOA is that many existing grid planning and operations practices were built around an older paradigm dominated by spinning generation and well-understood electromechanical dynamics. As the system becomes increasingly power-electronics-based, engineers and technicians need new tools that can capture the relevant technical behaviors and constraints of IBRs, support day-to-day operational decision-making, and inform long-term system planning. OPTIMA-funded projects are expected to address these emerging challenges and opportunities by creating or improving analytical, simulation, optimization, and decision-support capabilities that help the grid handle high levels of inverter-based generation while maintaining acceptable performance in terms of stability, reliability, and resilience.

The program is also explicitly tied to broader federal climate and energy goals. The FOA frames its purpose in the context of the Biden Administration targets of achieving carbon pollution-free electricity by 2035 and moving toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050. The intended public benefit is a faster, larger-scale deployment of clean energy technologies and a grid that can integrate solar in a way that supports affordable, secure, and equitable energy outcomes. In practical terms, OPTIMA is positioned as an enabling effort: better planning and operational tooling reduces integration friction, lowers risk for utilities and system operators, and supports higher confidence in deploying and operating solar and other inverter-based resources at scale.

From an administrative standpoint, OPTIMA is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement as the funding instrument, which generally indicates DOE expects substantial involvement during project execution (for example, technical collaboration, milestone reviews, or coordination around deliverables). The eligible applicant pool is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is broadly open to different entity types, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may exist in the full FOA text. The opportunity is categorized under the Energy funding activity area and references CFDA number 81.087. The FOA was created on April 20, 2023, with an original closing date of August 15, 2023. The award ceiling is stated as $4,000,000, and DOE anticipated making around 13 awards, which signals a portfolio approach where multiple teams tackle complementary slices of the tool-development and validation challenge rather than a single winner-take-all project.

In summary, OPTIMA (DE-FOA-0003034) is designed to push forward the next generation of grid planning and grid operations tools tailored to a future where inverter-based resources are central to system performance. By funding RD&D that improves how planners and operators model, anticipate, and manage IBR-heavy power systems, the FOA aims to make solar and other renewables easier to integrate, more reliable in practice, and more cost-effective at the system level, supporting national decarbonization targets and long-term grid modernization.

• The Department of Energy, Golden Field Office in the energy sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Operation and Planning Tools for Inverter-based Resource Management and Availability for future power systems (OPTIMA), DE-FOA-0003034" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.087.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 20, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 15, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

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