The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP) works alongside remote and island communities seeking to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. Island and remote communities have unique physical features that fundamentally shape what energy options they have available. For many of these communities, access to resilient, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources is a priority. ETIPP helps communities to assess and advance the solutions that best meet their needs. 

ETIPP defines remote and island communities as follows:

• Remote communities are isolated from population centers and, as a result, have limited access to centralized energy systems.
• Island communities are isolated from the mainland by waterways.

This multi-year, cross-sector technical assistance effort applies a tailored, community-driven approach to clean and resilient energy transitions, leveraging the experience and expertise of the ETIPP partner network: 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.

ETIPP leverages the Energy Transitions Initiative's (ETI's) proven framework to address community energy challenges, build capacity, and accelerate the sharing of best practices and innovations. The ETI framework is reflected in its Energy Transitions Playbook: an action-oriented guide to successfully initiating, planning, and completing an energy transition from a system that depends on imported fuels to a more resilient one that utilizes local clean-energy resources.

By understanding local energy and infrastructure challenges, goals, and opportunities, ETIPP's partner network enables communities to proactively identify and implement strategic, holistic solutions tailored to their needs.

ETIPP provides technical assistance opportunities for remote and island communities. Selected communities receive support for a project scoping phase (approximately one to six months), followed by 12- to 18-month-long energy planning and analysis projects that:

• Respond to the community's own energy priorities, goals, challenges, and opportunities.
• Advance the community's ability to implement strategic, whole-systems solutions.
• Develop replicable community energy transition approaches that can add value in neighboring communities, or those with similar characteristics.

By participating in ETIPP, communities can expect substantial in-kind support from the partnering national labs in the form of energy analysis and planning and, where appropriate, support for leading-edge technology solutions. ETIPP regional partners also provide general program guidance and education. Selected communities will not receive direct funding as part of the ETIPP program.

Learn More About ETIPP

If you have questions about ETIPP, contact ETIPP@nrel.gov.