The West Virginia University (WVU) Solar Power Test Site in Fairmont, WV brings together WVU engineers and nonprofit and utility sector experts to study questions related to battery storage, grid integration and cybersecurity related to solar power. Researchers will assess the electric utility grid’s performance when solar power is fed into the grid along with other sources such as coal and natural gas. Researchers will also examine the performance of solar panels, sensors and batteries and develop algorithms to help a solar-connected grid defend against attacks or natural disaster. According to High Technology Foundation President and CEO James Estep, the project’s managing lead, “The [West Virginia] Public Service Commission’s recent move authorizing the development of solar farms in West Virginia is an important shift in the state’s energy policy,” adding that the Solar Testbed Project will identify fundamental challenges of this deployment. Construction and analysis of the solar testbed will be led by Anurag Srivastava, professor and chair of the Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering in WVU’s College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. The study is being conducted at the I-79 Technology Park in Fairmont. The testbed was selected for a $2.3 million U.S. Department of Energy grant.