The Office of Electricity has announced $8 million in funding and technical assistance through its Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (C-MAP) program. The new projects will reach 35 towns and villages.
July 30, 2025
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Dan Ton
Dan Ton is Program Manager at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity (OE), responsible for developing and managing the OE Microgrids R&D Program. He also serves as the OE lead for the Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (C-MAP) program.
From May 2014 until July 2015, he served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of OE’s Power Systems Engineering Division. Before joining OE, Dan managed the Renewable Systems Integration program within the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program.
Dan holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Business Management, both from the University of Maryland.
When it comes to electricity, Americans living in remote areas face two big challenges: reliability is often poor and costs are comparatively high. Microgrids can help on both fronts, especially with the abundant energy sources and advanced controls that are now available.
To strengthen energy reliability and affordability in isolated, rural, and remote regions, DOE’s Office of Electricity announced $8 million in funding and technical assistance through its Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (C-MAP) program. The new projects will reach 35 towns and villages, with lessons that will extend to the hundreds of other U.S. microgrids.
What Types of Projects?
With $5.5 million of the funds going directly to the communities, and $2.6 million in the form of technical expertise provided by DOE labs and local partners, each project focuses on particular challenges in their communities. All projects share a few things in common:
- Prioritization of local energy supply chains, looking at any and all energy resources that fit community needs.
- Knowledge sharing between communities facing similar conditions.
- Energy security strategies, whether to boost the local economy, lower costs, or improve electricity reliability.
- On-the-ground proof of microgrid design and operations concepts.
A snapshot of the work ahead can be seen in Sand Point, Alaska, where the utility and the Tanadgusix (TDX) Corporation set a goal to reduce energy costs by $450,000 per year by remedying microgrid efficiency and functionality issues. This microgrid revitalization project will also engage a major business partner, a fish processing plant. This work touches on an important issue for microgrids: Building capacity is one thing, but operation and long-term ownership brings its own set of challenges.
Another of the projects will take place in Washoe County, Nevada, where the town of Gerlach will assess the feasibility of a community-sized, multi-technology microgrid. Gerlach is at the edge of regional transmission lines and endures frequent winter disruptions. Backup power should help overcome this for Gerlach’s several-thousand residents.
Why So Many Projects in Alaska?
Of the 14 projects, 12 are Alaska-based. Alaska is home to more than 200 remote microgrids—the most in the United States. Due to its dispersed tribes and villages, limited transmission network, and rugged landscape, many Alaska residents rely on tenuous and expensive fuel supplies. Yet they have introduced a paradigm shift in the microgrid market.
A wave of microgrid innovation is sweeping the state, with concepts such as sophisticated data collection, smart controls, energy storage systems, and hybrid generation. Early results show these methods are successful, and that is why a program like C-MAP can help other communities. Many projects in this cohort focus on managing and maintaining such cutting-edge microgrid solutions. Alaska’s continued leadership in microgrids provides direction to the many U.S. remote energy providers, businesses, and communities facing similar energy challenges.
A Vision for Remote Energy Reliability and Resilience
Together with other funding efforts like Underserved and Indigenous Community Microgrids, this C-MAP funding round is focused on bolstering energy affordability and reliability for communities that need it most. Microgrids are a versatile solution for the job: They allow for combining diverse energy sources, reconnecting with larger power systems as needed, and unparalleled resilience when transmission lines fail.
C-MAP is led by the Office of Electricity and administered through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
Learn more about the Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership program or email the program at cmap@nrel.gov.
