Request for Information (RFI) on Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers | DE FOA 0003581

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The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) titled "Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers" (Funding Opportunity Number DE-FOA-0003581). This notice is strictly an information-gathering effort and is not a funding opportunity. It is not accepting applications, it does not offer financial assistance, and it should not be treated as a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). ARPA-E is using the RFI to collect technical and strategic input that could shape a future ARPA-E research and development program focused on next-generation substation technologies and large power transformers.

At a high level, ARPA-E is exploring how to improve electric grid resilience, reliability, and security by modernizing substations and accelerating innovation around large power transformers (LPTs) and other major substation components. The agency is specifically interested in ideas that can "fast-track" manufacturing and deployment while also improving modularity, performance, functionality, and power density. In practical terms, they are looking for ways to make critical substation equipment faster to build, easier to transport and install, more adaptable in the field, and better suited to the evolving demands of the modern grid.

The RFI highlights several outcomes ARPA-E is trying to enable through transformative and scalable technologies. These include reducing the cost, lead time, and physical footprint of key substation components; reducing dependence on critical materials used across substations and the broader grid (including materials like copper and specialized magnetic materials); increasing the effective power capacity of existing infrastructure rather than always requiring brand-new buildouts; improving grid stability and resilience in the face of disruptions; and strengthening protection of substation assets against cybersecurity threats. The scope is intentionally broad, spanning physical hardware, design approaches, manufacturing methods, and cyber-physical security considerations.

Rather than asking for generic ideas, ARPA-E is trying to pinpoint where targeted technology development could have the biggest impact. They are requesting input on the real-world problems substations face today, the bottlenecks that slow down transformer procurement and replacement, and which innovations could most effectively address those issues. This includes both component-level advancements (improvements to specific parts of transformers and substations) and system-level concepts (new architectures for how transformers and substations could be configured and operated). ARPA-E is also explicitly interested in substation planning, design, and commissioning workflows, suggesting that not only equipment design but also the processes used to specify, build, test, and bring substations online are on the table for innovation.

On the component side, ARPA-E points to example technical areas where breakthroughs may be needed, such as magnetic and dielectric materials, bushings, electric field management, magnetic flux materials, thermal design approaches, and winding insulation. These categories map closely to common performance and reliability constraints in high-voltage equipment: managing heat, insulation aging, electric field stress, and material availability while maintaining or improving efficiency and lifetime. On the system side, ARPA-E lists example concepts such as flexible or hybrid power transformers that combine traditional transformer behavior with modular power electronics; solid-state transformers capable of high-voltage applications; hybrid transformers that integrate energy storage; modular transformer designs built from standardized blocks; and mobile substations that can be moved and deployed to manage capacity constraints or respond to outages and emergencies. Taken together, these examples signal interest in substations that are more dynamic, modular, and rapidly deployable than today's largely bespoke, heavy, long-lead-time installations.

ARPA-E is encouraging responses from a wide range of stakeholders and disciplines. The RFI calls out power systems and power electronics experts, transformer manufacturers, substation developers, magnetic materials scientists, and energy storage experts, among others. That mix reflects the reality that transformer and substation modernization is not a single-field problem: it involves advanced materials, high-voltage engineering, manufacturing scale-up, supply chain constraints, transportation logistics, digital controls, and cybersecurity. The RFI also notes particular interest in large power transformer supply chains, manufacturing limitations, and transport challenges, which are widely recognized as major pain points when utilities need replacement units quickly after failures or extreme events.

Administrative details included in the notice reinforce that this is not a funding call. The listed award ceiling is $0 and expected awards are 0, and while the funding instrument type is shown as a cooperative agreement, that is not actionable here because ARPA-E is not soliciting proposals for awards under this RFI. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, which in an RFI context generally means any relevant party can submit information. The original closing date is listed as 2025-09-22, which functions as the deadline for submitting responses to inform ARPA-E's internal planning. Anyone needing the full text and instructions is directed to the ARPA-E FOA website at https://arpa-e-foa.energy.gov.

In short, this RFI is ARPA-E's way of taking the temperature of the field and collecting concrete, high-leverage ideas for making substations and large power transformers cheaper, faster to manufacture and deploy, less dependent on constrained materials, more capable within existing footprints, more resilient to disruptions, and better protected against cyber threats. It is best understood as a precursor to a possible future program rather than a grant competition that organizations can apply to today.

• The Advanced Research Projects Agency Energy in the oz, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Request for Information (RFI) on Active Substations with Flexible Large Power Transformers" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 81.135.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-09-22. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted.

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