Brookhaven Lab to Lead $14M AI Project for Nation’s Electric Grid Through Genesis Mission

Hendrik Hamann, chief AI scientist for Innovation, Science, and Security at Brookhaven National Laboratory and joint appointee at Stony Brook University, is the principal investigator for a $14.2 million Genesis Mission Phase II project that will support researchers in developing an AI system that can rapidly simulate scenarios for adding new loads to the electric grid. (Photo by Timothy Kuhn/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

Project is the eighth Genesis Mission award associated with Stony Brook University

Brookhaven National Laboratory has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to lead a $14.2 million project to develop a next-generation grid foundation model (GridFM), an artificial intelligence (AI) system that can rapidly simulate scenarios for adding new loads to the electric grid.

The award to Brookhaven and its collaborators, including Stony Brook University, was provided through the Genesis Mission Phase II Request for Application (RFA). It will support three years of research with the goal of building a model that can simulate one billion scenarios in 24 hours, aiming to significantly accelerate grid expansion planning with optimal accuracy, affordability and efficiency in operations.

The funding was announced September 1 at Brookhaven Lab by DOE's Assistant Secretary for the Office of Electricity (OE) Catherine Jereza. OE is administering the funding for this Genesis Mission project, called "Foundation Models for the Electric Grid: From Proof of Concept to Real-world Impacts." $3.9 million of the total project funds will be allocated to Brookhaven, with the rest being shared by collaborating institutions.

"This project represents a bold step forward to supercharge scientific discovery using artificial intelligence to modernize America's electric grid," Jereza said. "By providing utilities enhanced AI tools, they can plan and operate the grid faster, more reliably, and more cost-effectively to help meet the demands of a growing economy while delivering affordable, reliable power for homes and businesses while unleashing American energy dominance."

Collaborators on the GridFM Genesis Mission Phase II project include Stony Brook University, the New York Power Authority, the Long Island Power Authority, National Grid and the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). The GridFM initiative is a community project spanning industry, academia and government, with contributions from more than 150 organizations. The initiative is strengthened by collaboration between utilities - which provide operational data and system experience - and researchers and technology providers, who provide AI expertise and computing resources.

"AI is often seen as a growing burden on the electric grid, but through the Genesis Mission we have an opportunity to turn that challenge into an advantage," said Principal Investigator Hendrik Hamann, chief AI scientist for Innovation, Science, and Security at Brookhaven Lab and joint appointee at Stony Brook University, where he is a professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. "By bringing together the right partners and scaling AI and grid foundation models for the electric grid, we can accelerate planning, improve operations and efficiency, and help build a more affordable, resilient energy system."

Yue Zhao, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Stony Brook, is collaborating with Hamann on the GridFM initiative. Stony Brook also recently added another Genesis Mission Phase II project through Yixin "Berry" Wen, an assistant professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and the Institute for Advanced Computational Science (IACS). Wen, who came to Stony Brook from the University of Florida, is developing AI methods to produce hyperlocal precipitation, runoff and flood-risk information for U.S. energy systems. Six Stony Brook researchers were among the initial Genesis Mission Phase II awards announced in July.

The Genesis Mission is a historic national initiative led by DOE, which is building the world's most powerful integrated science discovery platform. By uniting government, industry, academia, and philanthropy, it is accelerating breakthroughs in energy, scientific discovery, and national security through a new platform that combines AI, supercomputing, quantum systems, and advanced scientific instruments.

"This award reflects DOE's confidence in Brookhaven Lab to bring together science, artificial intelligence, and strong partnerships to address challenges of national importance," said Brookhaven Lab Director John Hill. "As electricity demand continues to grow, we need new approaches to strengthen, expand, and efficiently operate the nation's electric grid. We're proud to lead this effort and to work with an outstanding team to turn innovation into real-world impact for America's energy future."

Read the full story at the Brookhaven National Laboratory website.