Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project: Coastal, Remote, and Island Community Technical Assistance

ETIPP is open to communities and organizations in the United States and its territories that are experiencing energy resilience challenges due to their remote geography, aging infrastructure, and exposure to harsh weather conditions, among other considerations. To be eligible for the program, applicants must meet the following criteria.

• The benefitting community must be in an ETIPP supported region, as defined by our existing Regional Partners.
• The lead applicant is a local government (e.g., municipality, county, city, town), a Tribe or Tribal organization, a community-based organization (including nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations), a special purpose district (e.g., school district, water district, sewer district), an academic institution, a municipal utility, or an electric co-op.
• Private entities that are part of an application must be incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in the United States.
• Academic institutions that are part of an application must be based in the United States.

Applicants that are ineligible for ETIPP include:

• Individuals
• DOE employees, employees of sponsoring organizations, members of their immediate families (e.g., spouses, children, siblings, or parents), and persons living in the same household as such persons, whether or not related
• Individuals who worked at DOE (federal employees or support service contractors) within 6 months prior to the submission deadline
• Federal entities and federal employees
• DOE national laboratory employees
• Entities and individuals publicly banned from doing business with the U.S. government, such as entities and individuals debarred, suspended, or otherwise excluded from or ineligible for participating in federal programs
• Entities identified in Department of Homeland Security Binding Operational Directives as publicly banned from doing business with the U.S. government
• Entities and individuals identified as restricted parties on one or more screening lists of Department of Commerce, State, or the Treasury
• Individuals participating in a foreign government talent recruitment program* sponsored by a country of risk** and teams that include such individuals
• Entities owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of a government of a country of risk.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible, reach out to an ETIPP Regional Partner for more information and/or contact [email protected].

* Foreign Government-Sponsored Talent Recruitment Program is defined as an effort directly or indirectly organized, managed, or funded by a foreign government, or a foreign government instrumentality or entity, to recruit science and technology professionals or students (regardless of citizenship or national origin, or whether having a full-time or part-time position). Some foreign government-sponsored talent recruitment programs operate with the intent to import or otherwise acquire from abroad, sometimes through illicit means, proprietary technology or software, unpublished data and methods, and intellectual property to further the military modernization goals and/or economic goals of a foreign government. Many, but not all, programs aim to incentivize the targeted individual to relocate physically to the foreign state for the above purpose. Some programs allow for or encourage continued employment at United States research facilities or receipt of federal research funds while concurrently working at and/or receiving compensation from a foreign institution, and some direct participants not to disclose their participation to U.S. entities. Compensation could take many forms including cash, research funding, complimentary foreign travel, honorific titles, career advancement opportunities, promised future compensation, or other types of remuneration or consideration, including in-kind compensation.

**DOE has designated the following countries as foreign countries of risk: Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China. This list is subject to change.

Selected communities must agree to participate in the following activities:

• Participate in virtual meetings (30–90 minutes each) with ETIPP staff every 2–4 weeks during project scoping and throughout the remainder of the project.
• Strategic energy planning projects are expected to last 4–8 months.
• Technical deep dive projects are expected to last 12–24 months.
• Provide information and input requests by ETIPP staff in a timely manner.
• Submit feedback about your experience in ETIPP every 6 months during project execution and 6–12 months after its conclusion.
• Be available to other local communities to share your experience and lessons learned via webinar or conference call.
• Coordinate with community members and other stakeholders needed to participate in ETIPP meetings.

Prospective ETIPP communities must arrange for at least two external organizations distinct from the applicant’s organization to submit Stakeholder Support Forms to support their applications. Ideally, these supporters should play a role in decision-making for proposed ETIPP projects. Stakeholders may include community organizations, government leaders, local utilities, and others. Regional Partner organizations can help communities identify stakeholders to support their projects.

Fill out the Stakeholder Support Form online or download a PDF.

Complete el formulario de apoyo de las partes interesadas en línea o descargue un PDF.

Read the ETIPP Terms and Conditions to learn more about the terms of participating in ETIPP.

Lea los Términos y Condiciones de ETIPP para obtener más información sobre los términos de participación en ETIPP.

Renewable Energy Alaska Project
Haleigh Reed
[email protected]

Savannah Crichton
[email protected]
907-929-7770 ext. 8

Hispanic Federation
Juan Carlos Castro
[email protected]

Slipstream
Doug Ahl
[email protected]
608-729-6909

Southeast Sustainability Directors Network
Jake Leech 
[email protected]

STEM NOLA
Valeria Bermudez
[email protected]
504-252-0107

Hawaii State Energy Office
Eric Sippert
[email protected]
808-447-9093

Island Institute
Brenna Cohen
[email protected]
207-553-3184

Kate Klibansky
[email protected]

Spark Northwest
Mia Devine
[email protected]
206-460-5661

Groundswell
John Roberts, Jr.
[email protected]

David Wright
[email protected]

ETIPP advances coastal, remote, and island communities toward their self-defined energy resilience goals. ETIPP provides technical support using a community-driven approach to identify and plan strategic energy and resilience solutions that address communities' specific challenges. This approach leverages the experience and expertise of local community leaders, residents, and organizations within the ETIPP partner network.

Energy resilience is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and adapt to changing conditions and withstand, respond to, and recover rapidly from energy disruptions.

There is no size limit for ETIPP communities. All teams will be evaluated on their engagement with a local community partner, but teams can include support from regional or state development organizations as well.

Nonprofits are eligible, as are special-purpose districts, such as a school district or an administrative district.

Eligible applicants can propose one project with multiple goals. If a community is selected, ETIPP's scoping process can help further define the scope of the project and identify which options would best address the community's challenges, goals, and priorities. It's for this reason that applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to an ETIPP Regional Partner to collaboratively prioritize and define the scope of the project they wish to propose.

ETIPP technical assistance is not available for:

• Conducting energy efficiency audits
• Buying or installing equipment (e.g., solar panels, wind turbines, wind measurement towers)
• Writing grants
• Providing advocacy support.

ETIPP does not provide advocacy support. However, an ETIPP technical lead and/or Regional Partner can help communities understand energy resilience needs and the potential impacts of various policies and technology pathways, which can inform energy policies and decision-making.

Selected communities may have the opportunity to receive funds (up to $20,000 for communities selected for strategic energy planning and up to $50,000 for those engaging with deep-dive technical assistance) for services rendered to help implement the technical support.

The total time commitment varies based on the type of technical support project—Strategic Energy planning or technical Deep Dive. Strategic Energy Planning is a 4- to 8-month effort that supports communities in developing actionable goals for their energy resilience planning. Regional Partners and supporting lab technical experts will work with the communities to guide the planning effort, resulting in a completed strategic energy plan that includes a high-level energy assessment and baseline, individualized community goals, and a unique community action plan that defines energy resilience and affordability activities in the near-, mid-, and long-term. The Deep Dive technical assistance track is for communities with an existing and current energy plan (developed within the last 5 years) or specific project that fits within the scope and purview of ETIPP. The Deep Dive track can last 12–24 months and will result in a thorough analysis led by national lab technical subject matter experts. Within both technical assistance tracks, community members should expect to join virtual meetings at a cadence developed by the technical assistance team (e.g., 1-hour biweekly calls), as well as host one or two in-person site visits with the lab and Regional Partner team members. Applicants should consider whether the proposed project is feasible within the time parameters of ETIPP technical support.

The competitiveness depends on the total number of communities that apply. When a community is not selected, ETIPP will notify the applicant and work with the Regional Partner and national labs to identify any resources or funding opportunities that can better address the specific challenges of the community.