The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Shelter Island as one of nine island communities coast-to-coast to take part in a project to build local sustainable, resilient, and reliable year-round energy systems.
“Unreliable power, lack of robust connections to mainstream power grids, and threats from strengthening storms are among the energy challenges faced by remote and island communities,” the DOE said in a news release announcing the project on Tuesday.
The Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) is an ongoing DOE program. Tuesday’s announcement describes nine new projects with remote and island communities.
“These nine projects have been identified to help remote communities tailor the clean energy transition that makes the most sense for them,” the DOE says. “The communities — stretching across the entire United States from Hawaii to Maine — will join 23 other projects that are already working toward clean energy solutions as part of the ETIPP network.”
“Ownership and collaboration within communities is at the heart of the ETIPP,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Alejandro Moreno. “For hard-to-reach communities that have historically felt out of sight and out of mind, the DOE hears and sees you, and is here to work with you on your vision of a clean energy future.”
Through ETIPP, communities work with regional partner organizations and national laboratory experts to address local energy challenges. Driven by local energy priorities, the DOE says ETIPP supports the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of decarbonizing energy and achieving a zero-emissions economy by 2050.
ETIPP
ETIPP is a multi-year, cross-sector technical assistance effort that applies a tailored, community-driven approach to clean and resilient energy transitions. It leverages the experience and expertise of the ETIPP partner network.
ETIPP works directly with communities to plan resilient solutions to energy challenges by combining the experience of local community leaders with the capabilities of the ETIPP partner network.
The partner network represents a broad coalition of local stakeholders, regional organizations, national laboratories, and DOE offices. Read the ETIPP fact sheet to learn more about technical assistance in communities.
Shelter Island project details
On Shelter Island, the Town’s Green Options Committee applied to support a range of renewable technologies to bolster its resilience. The community will work with the ETIPP network to optimize solar arrays, understand whether a geothermal heating and cooling system would be appropriate for the town’s government buildings, and explore options for generating energy from its tidal resource.
Green Options Chairman Tim Purtell shared the news with the Town Board at Tuesday’s work session shortly after the Energy Department issued its new release.
“It’s an interesting mix,” he said, of the nine island communities, noting that “some are further along than we are.”
“To be perfectly clear, we aren’t getting money; we’re getting expertise from government and other entities,” he said of the 18-month program. At the program’s conclusion, the Town could seek grant funds for projects for further development.
“We’re off to a good start,” he said, given local expertise within the Green Options Committee and other Town committees.
“I am thrilled to see this important project and new jobs coming to Shelter Island and the East End. As our country continues to find ways to become energy independent, we must take on an all-of-the-above energy plan,” said Rep. Nick LaLota of the First Congressional District.
“These projects will create hundreds of good-paying jobs and boost the local economy. I will continue to fight to bring federal dollars and jobs back home to Suffolk County.”
Other project details
Below are details about the other island communities and their ETIPP projects.
The DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy funds these ETIPP projects. Visit the ETIPP website to learn more about the program.
Block Island, Rhode Island
Block Island is looking to identify renewable energy sources that can generate electricity on the island and reduce reliance on imported electricity and fuels. The community will engage in energy planning to shore up its resilience, particularly in the face of sea-level rise. Specifically, the community will work to lower energy costs for marginalized populations.
“Transitioning to clean energy is key to lowering energy costs, creating good-paying jobs, and supporting remote communities like Block Island,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District.
“This federal funding will help ensure Block Island has access to affordable and reliable energy year-round and reduce reliance on imported electricity and fossil fuels.”
Deer Isle and Stonington, Maine
Stonington, a fishing town on the southern end of Deer Isle, Maine, frequently experiences power outages for up to a week. The community will conduct an energy assessment to understand how renewable and resilient energy options like microgrids, energy storage systems, and other technologies can integrate with its current grid. As its population grows, energy demand increases, and weather increasingly affects energy delivery.
“Rural communities like Stonington and Deer Isle face enough challenges day-to-day, and keeping the lights on shouldn’t be one of them,” said Rep. Jared Golden of Maine’s Second Congressional District
“These important grid investments will give families across the peninsula reliable energy, valuable peace of mind, and make these already strong communities just that much more resilient.”
Molokai, Hawaii
The island of Molokai has developed a Community Energy Resilience Action Plan, which outlined 10 key energy projects. Building on the priorities in the plan, the community will model and assess the feasibility of solar energy, identify renewable energy sources to support critical infrastructure, and explore pumped hydropower as an option for energy storage.
Nooksack Tribe, Washington
The Nooksack Tribe sits at the end of power distribution lines in Deming, Washington, where it experiences frequent winter power outages that require emergency shelters. The community will plan strategically to explore renewable and resilient energy technologies, including battery storage, microgrids, electric vehicle charging stations, and wind generators. The tribe will use its plan to prioritize renewable energy projects and pursue grant funding to combat prolonged power outages.
Oak Bluffs, Edgartown, and Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Storms often threaten the electricity, water, and food supply across multiple townships on Martha’s Vineyard. The year-round island community members want to understand better how to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels as a backup power source for water pumping and supply. They will also continue exploring opportunities for electric buses to provide mobile power sources for water pumps, a project already underway.
Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, Washington
In Northwest Washington, the S’Klallam Tribe is often isolated from other communities by storms that take out power lines and wash out their single road for utility repair crews’ access. The tribe will conduct energy planning, assess their local energy resources, set energy goals, identify energy projects, and increase the capacity of their staff to address the community’s energy needs.
Sitka, Alaska
Sitka, an island community in southeast Alaska accessible only by boat or plane, projects that its load will exceed available capacity for electricity generation within the next decade. Sitka will analyze and compare future forecasted energy demand, accounting for increased loads from heating electrification, electric transportation, and other decarbonization technologies. The analysis outcomes will help Sitka match previously identified renewable energy opportunities to meet forecasted energy demand.
Vieques, Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rican islands of Vieques and Culebra will study the feasibility of achieving energy independence and resilience using rooftop and community solar power to provide the islands with renewable energy. The islands will work with ETIPP partners to conduct modeling and analysis to understand the full potential of decentralized solar when combined with utility-scale solutions.
“Vieques and Culebra have had to face greater challenges than the other municipalities in Puerto Rico. Even when the programmed improvements to our general energy grid are carried out, both island municipalities will remain especially susceptible to the impacts of hurricanes, and the capacity of fuel storage facilities will limit the auxiliary generation systems on the ground,” said Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón of Puerto Rico’s First Congressional District.
“On these islands we have the greatest need to evaluate how best to incorporate community-level renewable energy sources into the grid. I am counting on this project to be carried out diligently to produce results that will guide us to concrete actions.”
Earlier ETIPP projects
These tribes, islands, and remote towns mark the third cohort of communities joining ETIPP, which launched in 2021 with 11 communities.
In 2022, 12 additional communities were selected for ETIPP. Existing ETIPP communities are working on projects ranging from electrifying diesel fishing vessels to planning microgrids to provide communities with power during storm outages.
ETIPP communities work with five regional partner organizations — academic institutions and nonprofit groups that have deep knowledge of local energy ecosystems, needs, challenges, and priorities. ETIPP’s regional partners include the Coastal Studies Institute, Island Institute, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, Renewable Energy Alaska Project, and Spark Northwest.
The communities also partner with researchers at four national laboratories — including 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.
