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

The Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) supports U.S. coastal, remote, and island communities in enhancing energy resilience through technical assistance. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and coordinated by NREL, this initiative offers communities tailored support, including up to $50,000 for strategic energy planning or deep-dive analysis. ETIPP aims to address unique energy challenges faced by these communities, ensuring reliable and affordable energy resources.

About NREL
NREL coordinates technical support for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP) to help U.S. coastal, remote, and island communities become more energy resilient. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is operated for the U.S. Department of Energy by the Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC ("Alliance").
NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy's primary national laboratory for energy systems. With a focus on security and reliability, NREL leads energy systems innovation and integration—enhancing existing technologies and developing new, cutting-edge solutions that unlock economic opportunity and fuel America's global competitiveness.
NREL bridges foundational research with practical applications to integrate various energy sources, storage, buildings, transportation, and emerging technologies.
Background
DOE's ETIPP helps U.S. coastal, remote, and island communities become more energy resilient. These communities have unique physical features that fundamentally shape what energy options are available. For many of these communities, access to resilient, reliable, and affordable energy resources is a priority. ETIPP helps communities to assess and advance the solutions that best meet their needs.
Communities selected for ETIPP receive up to 24 months of in-kind technical assistance and may be eligible to receive up to $50,000 to support their projects depending on whether they pursue strategic energy planning or deep-dive technical assistance through ETIPP. Communities and technical assistance providers then execute the project over a period of 4–24 months.
Only one application per applicant will be accepted during each application cycle.
Types of Technical Support
ETIPP offers two distinct technical support tracks:

• Strategic Energy Planning and Deep Dive technical assistance.

During the application process, communities may select which track best meets their needs, and Regional Partners will advise on the track for which the community is best suited.
Strategic Energy Planning
This 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 communities to guide the planning effort, resulting in a completed strategic energy plan, which includes a high-level energy assessment and baseline, individualized community goals, and a unique community action plan that defines energy resilience and affordability in the near-, mid-, and long term.
The Deep Dive technical assistance track
This 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 be between 12 to 24 months and will result in a thorough analysis led by national lab technical subject matter experts.

Eligibility

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.

Ineligibility

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
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.