Bringing Technical Assistance to Remote and Island Communities to Transform their Energy Systems
There are actually three things certain in life: death, taxes, and the fact that there is never a convenient time for a power outage. For those who live in remote or island communities, loss of electrical power can be a regular and frustrating occurrence which in many cases could take days to resolve. Because of their geographic isolation, remote and island communities face unique energy and infrastructure challenges and are especially vulnerable to energy disruptions. Overcoming these challenges and reducing risk requires ramping up resilience—often with limited resources and capacity.
To address this vulnerability, the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Program (ETIPP). CSI’s North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) has been selected as one of five regional partner institutions to participate in this endeavor. Mr. George Bonner, director of NCROEP, stated that CSI was awarded $335,000 to leverage support, experience, and expertise to help these communities transform their energy systems. He is excited about opportunities to enhance resilience for NC’s vulnerable coastal communities and support NC’s Clean Energy Goals of clean, affordable, reliable, and equitable electrical power.
Dr. Linda D’Anna (Research Scientist, CSI) stated CSI will work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory as a liaison, working beside the national labs and communities here in the southeastern U.S. “We will provide stakeholder engagement and outreach to interested and participating local communities. We will translate content from the national labs to the communities to support the development of their technical assistance applications and work plans and then gather lessons learned from our work with the communities to share with the labs.”
Communities must apply to participate. Assisting communities with their applications will be one of CSI’s roles. Application to participate in the program is targeted for January-February and selections will be made in Spring 2021.
Based at the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI), the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP) advances inter-disciplinary marine energy solutions across UNC System partner colleges of engineering at NC State University, UNC Charlotte, and NC A&T University. Click on the links below for more information.
ECU's Integrated Coastal Programs (ECU ICP) is a leader in coastal and marine research, education, and engagement. ECU ICP includes the Coastal Studies Institute, ECU's Department of Coastal Studies, and ECU Diving and Water Safety.
The ECU Outer Banks campus is home to the Coastal Studies Institute.
