GridWorks is a new program activity in the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE). Its aim is to improve the reliability of the electric system through the modernization of key grid components: cables and conductors, substations and protective systems, and power electronics.

Fiscal year 2005 is the first year funds were appropriated to support GridWorks activities. GridWorks plans to execute activities identified in its multi-year plan, which is the result of extensive consultation with representatives of the electric utility industry, power system equipment manufacturers, other Federal and State agencies, universities, and national laboratories.

The plan includes near-term activities to incrementally improve existing power systems and accelerate their introduction into the marketplace. It also includes long-term activities to develop new technologies, tools, and techniques to support the modernization of the electric grid for the requirements of the 21st century.

The plan calls for coordinating GridWorks' activities with those of complementary efforts underway in the Office, including: high temperature superconducting systems, transmission reliability technologies, electric distribution technologies, energy storage devices, and GridWise systems.