Twenty-three research projects in the U.S. and Puerto Rico will receive $43 million in total funds from the Department of Energy to pursue strategies for clean energy transition and grid resilience in local communities.
The Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience program will finance 20 of the studies, while the three other projects will be conducted under the Energyshed funding initiative, DOE said Wednesday.
DOE listed Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, GE Research, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Navajo Technical University, and Wayne State University as awardees for the RACER program.
These organizations will focus on community clean energy planning approaches to prevent disruption or restore power after extreme weather events. Their studies will be conducted in 30 localities in the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico.
The Energyshed funding recipients are Georgia Institute of Technology, Launch Alaska and the University of Vermont. Their objective is to develop tools that can help communities such as native groups and rural and metropolitan areas to harness local sources of electricity and establish grid sustainability.
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the research efforts will “give local communities the tools to understand and make informed decisions about their own energy supply and needs.”
