DOE’s Office of Electricity Opens Voucher Opportunity to Connect Grid Innovators with Testing Facilities

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE) today announced a $4 million funding opportunity to support testing, stress testing, and performance validation of precommercial transmission and distribution grid technologies. These technologies can increase grid capacity, provide greater flexibility, and reduce dependence on foreign supply chains. Through this funding opportunity, funding vouchers support test facility operators that are paired with technology developers to assess emerging technologies in controlled environments before deployment on the grid, helping reduce risk and increase confidence in their performance, safety, security, and reliability.

This funding opportunity is targeted to test facility providers, which will receive vouchers to provide testing services to voucher recipients. Voucher recipients may include grid transmission and distribution technology innovators, such as small businesses and entrepreneurs. Through the Grid Innovations Facility and Testing Voucher Opportunity (VO-12), OE will fund a matchmaking effort managed by ENERGYWERX, a partnership intermediary for DOE. ENERGYWERX will match U.S.-based electric grid technology developers (voucher recipients) with domestic test facilities (voucher providers) that have relevant testing capabilities. Once matches are made, OE will fund the test facilities to provide testing and validation services to the technology developers for projects lasting up to one year.

Interested applicants are encouraged to review the full opportunity details on the ENERGYWERX website.

For more information about this voucher opportunity for providers, OE will host a webinar on August 18, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. The webinar will outline program expectations and the application process and give participants an opportunity to ask DOE questions directly.

• Register for the August 18 webinar

Note: The webinar will be recorded, and the recording and transcript will be available on the opportunity page within two business days after the event.

All provider applications are due September 22, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Interested applicants are encouraged to review the latest resources on the opportunity page and use the link provided there to begin an application.

Learn more about OE.