There are nearly 100 island communities in the United States and its territories. Many more U.S. communities are “islanded,” meaning their connection to a centralized electric grid is nonexistent or tenuous because they are remote, rural, or both.
As a result, these communities—vastly different in terms of size, geography, climate, culture, and economy—all face significant energy and infrastructure challenges. Although the challenges vary widely, they all create similar risks and vulnerabilities for the people who call these places home.
Through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), local leaders, community-based organizations, and residents in 23 remote and island communities are addressing their local energy resilience challenges.
ETIPP connects these competitively selected communities with a network of regional and national energy experts—including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—who can identify optimal energy and infrastructure solutions that meet local needs and goals.
Funded by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, ETIPP provides answers to community questions about increasing energy resilience, with a range of resources and technologies, such as water, solar, wind, and geothermal power; microgrids; rate structures; energy efficiency and storage; and electric transportation.
