The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) today announced that the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) is accepting applications from remote, island, and islanded communities for technical assistance to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. ETIPP’s collaborative, community-driven approach will help ensure remote, island, and islanded communities have the skills and tools needed to accelerate their energy resilience planning in the face of extreme weather events and changing economic conditions.

“The assistance provided through ETIPP is crucial in supporting the clean energy transition for remote, island, and islanded communities, which are especially vulnerable to high energy costs and the most severe effects of climate change,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Kelly Speakes-Backman. “ETIPP is designed to work alongside these communities to help address energy challenges by sharing DOE’s technical expertise with regional partners that understand and address local priorities, concerns, and values.”

The ETIPP network, including DOE, national laboratories, and regional organizations, partners with state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, as well as organizations and stakeholders, to advance energy transitions identified by these communities. 11 projects are already underway across the United States, supporting communities with technical assistance and strategic energy planning for resilient energy systems, critical community facilities, and local economies. Through ETIPP, communities are laying the groundwork for implementing energy resilience solutions designed not only to bolster their energy systems against disruptions, but also to have positive ripple effects to support social, economic, and cultural resilience.

Communities are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and contact an ETIPP regional partner with questions about eligibility and the application process. DOE expects to offer 8–12 technical assistance awards. Applicants are encouraged to consider community-driven project proposals using energy technologies that can provide resilience and other community benefits, including energy efficiency, hydropower, microgrids, solar, wind, geothermal, storage, tidal or wave energy, and grid infrastructure needed to support electric transportation, among other industries. Applications are due by April 15, 2022.

ETIPP leverages the support, experience, and expertise of DOE’s Energy Transitions Initiative, Geothermal Technologies Office, Solar Energy Technologies Office, Water Power Technologies Office, and Wind Energy Technologies Office, and the following national laboratories and regional partners:

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory
• Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Sandia National Laboratories
• Alaska Center for Energy and Power and Institute of Social and Economic Research
• Coastal Studies Institute
• Hawai’i Natural Energy Institute
• Island Institute
• Renewable Energy Alaska Project
• Spark Northwest.

Visit the ETIPP website for more information.