The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) welcomed 25 new coastal, remote, and island communities to the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) as the technical assistance program’s fourth cohort. These types of geographically isolated communities face unique energy challenges, including issues with accessing reliable and affordable power and increasing energy resilience. ETIPP helps communities assess and advance the clean energy solutions that best meet their needs, with support from experts at DOE’s national labs and a network of regional partner organizations.
“DOE is committed to closing the gap between clean energy ambitions and real-world deployment in communities across America where tailored solutions are needed to overcome barriers,” said Jeff Marootian, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “ETIPP provides communities with the tools and resources they need to realize an equitable, cleaner, and more resilient energy future, no matter their location or unique challenges.”
This marks ETIPP’s largest cohort to date, nearly double the total number of communities that have participated in the program since it launched in 2020. It’s also the most geographically diverse cohort, thanks to expanded partnerships with regional partner organizations and dedicated funding to support their capacity-building engagements with communities in their regions. Community projects include electric transportation, solar power interconnection, wind energy potential, wildfire preparedness, home heat pumps and weatherization retrofits, and microgrids and battery storage, among other solutions.
25 new communities to ETIPP are located across the United States, with Port Orford being one of three in the Pacific Northwest. Image by Fred Zietz, NREL
For the first time in the program’s history, the fourth cohort of 25 communities will each receive $50,000 in direct funding to support capacity for engagement on their ETIPP project. Another new feature is the introduction of distinct technical assistance tracks designed to better support communities, whether they are in the early stages of energy planning or joining ETIPP with an existing energy plan or well-defined project.
With both tracks, ETIPP communities work with researchers at four national laboratories—Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories—to find solutions tailored to local energy challenges. In addition, regional partner organizations—including Groundswell, the Island Institute, the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, the Southeast Sustainability Directors Network, and Spark Northwest—build bridges between local residents and national laboratory experts through deep knowledge of local energy ecosystems and cultural nuances.
With support from the mayor of Port Orford and Oregon State University’s Port Orford Field Station manager, Port Orford will initiate its ETIPP technical assistance with a strategic energy planning effort aimed at addressing a variety of coastal resilience challenges, such as extreme weather and disaster preparedness, power outages, and decarbonization.
ETIPP is funded by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Visit the ETIPP website to learn more about the program.