ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needed ways to strengthen the electric grid against physical threats such as electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attacks, as well as against cyber threats. They found a solution from Converge Strategies LLC in Boston.
Officials of the Army Corps of Engineers Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity (HECSA) in Alexandria, Va., announced a $2.3 million contract to Converge Strategies on Monday for the Defense Innovations to Mitigate Electricity Grid Risk program.
Defense Innovations to Mitigate Electricity Grid Risk involves strengthening grid resilience, developing microgrid systems for defense, hardening infrastructure against physical and cyber threats, and adopting advanced technologies for reliability and security.
Electric grid resilience and transmission expansion involves enhancing power transmission to ensure reliable energy supply for the military. This can include strengthening power infrastructure, expanding transmission lines, and enhancing redundancy to reduce vulnerabilities to regional outages.
Microgrids for defense energy architecture involves developing microgrids based on small modular reactors, renewable energy, and advanced energy storage like hydrogen batteries to create self-sufficient regional power sources that can operate independently from the national grid. This approach can protect military installations from widespread grid failures from cyber attacks, EMP attacks, or similar threats.
Hardening against EMP and cyber attacks can involve technologies like Faraday cages, undergrounding power lines, reactors, and improving physical security to protect the grid from electromagnetic and cyber attack.
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Grid-enhancing technologies can involve advanced conductors and real-time grid management to enhance the capacity and efficiency of existing transmission lines; optimizing grid performance; and reducing failure points.
Testing and research can involve establishing test beds for physical and cyber security to assess vulnerabilities and improve grid defense. Strategic planning and collaboration can involve working with state and local governments to secure civilian power for the military.