The Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project launched a novel approach to support and work alongside 11 remote, island, and islanded communities to help develop strategies to shift to a clean, equitable, sustainable, and resilient energy future.
Water Power Technologies Office
March 9, 2022
minute read time
Marine Energy Program
Powering the Blue Economy Initiative
Project Name: Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project
Project Team: National Renewable Energy Laboratory (lead for program administration and technical assistance), Alaska Center for Energy and Power (lead for stakeholder engagement and capacity building), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Coastal Studies Institute, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Island Institute, and Renewable Energy Alaska Project
Participating Communities: Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association in Sitka, Alaska; Dillingham, Alaska; Eastport, Maine; Honolulu, Hawaii; Islesboro, Maine; Kauai, Hawaii; Nags Head, North Carolina; Ocracoke Island, North Carolina; Ouzinkie, Alaska; Sitka, Alaska; and Wainwright, Alaska
In April 2021, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced 11 competitively selected communities in four states for the first Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) cohort: Sitka, Dillingham, Ouzinkie, and Wainwright in Alaska, along with the Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association; Ocracoke Island and Nags Head in North Carolina; Eastport and Islesboro in Maine; and Honolulu and Kauai in Hawaii. These projects focus on efforts to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, increase energy efficiency and resilience, and optimize renewable resources and battery technologies.
ETIPP—supported by the Water Power Technologies Office, Energy Transitions Initiative, Geothermal Technologies Office, Solar Energy Technologies Office, and Wind Energy Technologies Office—connects competitively selected remote, island, and islanded communities with regional stakeholder organizations and experts from national laboratories to help develop strategies to shift to a clean energy future that is equitable, sustainable, and resilient.
In many remote, island, and islanded communities, transitioning to clean energy can have insurmountable cost or logistical barriers. The Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project provides technical assistance to help these communities move toward a clean energy future. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy
Energy is a particularly complex and costly challenge for remote, island, and islanded communities. Many of these communities face high risks of natural disasters and climate change impacts, on top of high energy costs and unreliable energy infrastructure that is vulnerable to outages or damage. ETIPP provides technical assistance to these communities to empower them to make informed decisions regarding their energy choices and build greater community resilience.
Through a community-centric, stakeholder-driven approach, regional partner organizations and national labs will help these communities reach their clean energy goals. ETIPP is an ongoing program and DOE will offer more opportunities in the future for new communities interested in working with the Department to advance their energy transitions.
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