Newswise — Building on $180 million in joint energy-related research, EPB and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) marked 10 years of collaboration Friday with the announcement of the new Collaborative for Energy Resilience and Quantum Science (CERQS). The new joint research effort will focus on utilizing Chattanooga’s highly advanced and integrated energy and communications infrastructure to develop technologies and best practices for enhancing the resilience and security of the national power grid while accelerating the commercialization of quantum technologies. 

U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, who represents both Chattanooga and Oak Ridge, joined EPB in hosting Dr. Stephen K. Streiffer, who was appointed as director of ORNL in October 2023, for his first tour of EPB’s facilities as they all came together in announcing the new cooperative effort.

“Since I came to Congress over 10 years ago, one of my highest priorities has been creating and strengthening the Chattanooga-Oak Ridge partnership that’s changed East Tennessee and the entire Southeastern region of our great nation. Because of the increased collaboration between outstanding entities in Chattanooga, such as EPB, and organizations in Oak Ridge, like ORNL, major advancements are taking place in science, technology, research and more—generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic impact and making Tennessee and the entire Southeastern United States the world leader in new and emerging technologies and industries,” said Rep. Fleischmann. “Today’s major announcement that EPB and ORNL are increasing their partnership to strengthen Chattanooga’s existing first-ever commercially available quantum network, the only in the world, is yet another significant milestone that will change how business and research is done. As East Tennessee’s Congressman, I will always continue supporting the Chattanooga-Oak Ridge partnership and increased collaboration between EPB and ORNL that’s strengthening our state and local economy and keeping America the global leader in the sciences and technologies that will power our future.”

To date, EPB and ORNL have collaborated on nearly 30 funded projects. These efforts encompass a wide range of research including the development of advanced energy models to optimize power distribution, the utilization of predictive algorithms to identify likely energy equipment failures so they can be addressed before customers lose power, and the deployment of dynamic microgrids that can be rapidly scaled to meet changing energy needs as power supplied by solar and other renewable energy resources changes unpredictably throughout the day. Taken together, these projects reflect efforts to keep energy costs lower for customers while enhancing the reliability and resilience of their energy and communications services.

“There’s tremendous potential for ORNL to build on our work with EPB,” Streiffer said. “By bringing together our respective research capabilities and cutting-edge deployment, we can substantially advance research and move it toward practical application and commercialization.”

Quantum cybersecurity technology has been one of the most prominent focus areas for the joint effort. With Department of Energy funding aimed at securing America’s electric grid against cyberthreats, EPB, ORNL, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Qubitekk, Inc., partnered to demonstrate quantum cryptographic technologies across a fiber optic network that EPB established between some of its electric substations. As a result of the advances yielded through that effort, the team won an R&D 100 Award, which is part of the most prestigious innovation awards program for more than 60 years. Through the project, EPB also developed the expertise to partner with Qubitekk in launching the EPB Quantum NetworkSM powered by Qubitekk, America’s first commercially available fiber optic network specifically designed and equipped for accelerating the commercialization of quantum technologies.

Because both the public and private sector are investing billions to unlock the groundbreaking potential of this emerging industry, there are tremendous new opportunities for EPB and ORNL to join forces and advance quantum technology for deployment that transforms energy system resilience, reliability and security for customers.

“Working together, EPB and ORNL have advanced technologies that we will eventually be able to deploy for the immediate benefit of our local customers while providing a model for how other utilities can modernize their technology and operations,” said David Wade, CEO of EPB. “Building on our successful efforts over the last ten years, we have a unique opportunity to operationalize cutting-edge advancements with the goal of enhancing power grid security and reliability both locally and nationally.”

To structure the effort, ORNL and EPB will establish CERQS to focus on four strategic goals

  1. National leadership in quantum science and technology, including research breakthroughs that enable the distribution of quantum information over long distances, connection of diverse quantum technologies, including quantum computing for novel data analytics and simulation, commercialization in the supply chain, demonstrated improvements in business productivity, and U.S. leadership in the emerging global quantum economy.
  2. Energy security innovation, including research, development and deployment of novel quantum and digital technologies to create a next-generation grid energy distribution system that demonstrates improved service resilience and reliability and that is affordable and flexible, environmentally sustainable and cyber-secure for customers.
  3. Workforce development to support the quantum economy in East Tennessee, in partnership with K-12, community colleges, universities and businesses.
  4. Economic development that moves quantum technology from research to commercialization over 10 years, positioning East Tennessee to capture investment in the quantum economy and to create new companies in the quantum manufacturing supply chain and business productivity applications development. 

“Thanks to EPB’s investment in our community-wide fiber optic network more than a decade ago, Chattanooga leads as a hub of innovation where entrepreneurs thrive, jobs grow and companies want to locate,” said Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly. “We look forward to working with EPB and ORNL as we strive to keep our city on the cutting edge for generations.”

“We have a responsibility to equip our workforce with the necessary skills to fill jobs of the future, particularly STEM-oriented careers, which will be a career pathway at the new Chattanooga High School,” said Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. “I’m excited that in Hamilton County, students of all ages and backgrounds have opportunities to learn and grow in a place where the biggest ideas are pursued from EPB to ORNL.”

About EPB

EPB is a customer-focused technology company that delivers innovative power and telecommunications solutions to the Chattanooga area in pursuit of its mission to enhance the quality of life for the community it serves. In 2010, EPB completed a 100% fiber optic network accessible to all its customers as the basis for launching America’s first community-wide Gig speed internet. The company still operates the world’s fastest community-wide internet service today at speeds up to 25 Gig. EPB also utilizes Chattanooga’s fiber optic network as the communications backbone for the most advanced and highly automated power distribution system in the United States. In 2022, EPB continued its commitment to keeping Chattanooga on the cutting edge by establishing our nation’s first commercially available quantum network—EPB Quantum Network℠ powered by Qubitekk. This effort aligns local job creation efforts with the national priority to accelerate the commercialization of quantum technology. 

Since switching the lights on for its first electric customer in 1939, EPB has grown to serve nearly a half a million people across a 600-square-mile service area with cutting-edge infrastructure that integrates power distribution and telecommunications.  At the same time, EPB keeps customer benefit at the center of all its efforts, earning recognition from J.D. Power as the #1 Mid-Sized Utility in the South for the last eight consecutive years based on customer satisfaction ratings. Learn more at epb.com.

About ORNL

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. The laboratory’s diverse expertise enables translation of scientific discoveries into new technologies that address national priorities. The Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the U.S., is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit https://www.ornl.gov/ and https://energy.gov/science.

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