U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
U.S. Department of Energy Announces $8M for Microgrid Innovation

In addition to $5.5 million in direct funding to communities supported by microgrid energy system, C-MAP will provide more than $2.6 million for technical expertise provided through DOE's national laboratories and local partners, such as the Alaska Center for Energy and Power at the University of Alaska. 

"Funding for the C-MAP projects cover costs associated with designing, engineering, and sustaining microgrid systems that bring the reality of America's energy abundance to rural homes, businesses, and industries," said Gil Bindewald, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office Electricity. "We want to see microgrid designs that work not just on paper but in the real world." 

Americans living in remote reaches of the country pay some of the highest prices for electricity, yet their service is often below modern standards. The electrical infrastructure is insufficient or aging, vulnerable to weather-related disruptions, and dependent on long supply chains for costly diesel fuel, the most common energy source. Operational efficiencies enabled by microgrids have immense benefits in energy reliability and affordability in areas with a weak grid connection or in the stand-alone microgrids used in remote industries, Tribes and island communities, and national defense. 

With support from C-MAP, selectees will: 

• Implement advanced controls and monitoring software to improve system performance,  

• Build workforce capacity for long-term operations and maintenance, 

• Modernize power systems to address poor power quality and outages, 

• Prioritize local energy supply chains to stabilize and lower costs, and 

• Develop construction-ready engineering plans for infrastructure improvements. 

A function of the President's National Energy Dominance Council is to consult with officials from State, local, and Tribal governments and individuals from the private sector to solicit feedback on how best to expand all forms of energy production. C-MAP is a model for bringing these entities together to address critical energy security gaps with practical solutions.  

"Microgrids come in many forms, and we have more technologies for generating and managing power than ever before. However, adoption is limited by microgrid system complexity, capital costs, and commissioning times," said Dan Ton, C-MAP Lead for the Office of Electricity. "I believe the United States can lead the world in standardized, modular, and scalable microgrids, but this requires research-backed demonstrations that can be replicated nationwide."  

Alaska has more than 200 microgrids, states the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, and the majority of the C-MAP awards are based in Alaska. According to Alaska Energy Authority's 2024 Power Cost Equalization Program Statistical Report, these rural villages and communities are often burdened with electricity rates 3 to 5 times higher than urban areas and are at the forefront of rethinking grid architectures to lower costs, build energy independence, and power key industries such as commercial fishing and seafood processing. 

"The 12 high-caliber projects selected in Alaska through C-MAP exemplify the innovation, collaboration, and resourcefulness in the 49th State," said Dr. Erin Whitney, Director of the Arctic Energy Office at the U.S. Department of Energy. "Microgrids in remote Alaska are far too often dependent on flying or barging in diesel fuel, facing outages caused by extreme weather or aging conditions, and overcoming workforce shortages or logistical nightmares. These C-MAP investments will play an outsized role in propelling these communities forward."   

To best support each project, C-MAP engages experts in the region of the project including Renewable Energy Alaska Project and the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Energy and Power. C-MAP is funded to provide targeted technical support to selected projects, as needed, in addition to their awards. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory administers C-MAP, and the partnership network includes additional DOE national laboratories, universities and nonprofit, as well as state agencies and DOE's Arctic Energy Office and Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs.  

This partnership will also synthesize lessons, experiences, and best practices from these 14 selected projects and make them available to other communities, organizations, and industry members who are also using, or considering the use of, microgrid energy systems. 

Proposals competitively selected for award negotiation are below. Please note that these amounts do not include cost share. 

Alaska Municipal League - Alaska: Five microgrid-powered communities will investigate operational, development, workforce, and operations and maintenance strategies that serve isolated and islanded areas with diverse conditions and energy technologies. (Amount: $574,459) 

• Partners: Alaska Municipal League, Cities of St. Paul, Sitka, King Cove, Galena, and Ouzinkie 

Choggiung Limited - Alaska: In Dillingham, the project partners will complete feasibility assessments and construction-ready designs for a microgrid with battery energy storage for energy resilience, on-site generation to reduce fuel imports, and distribution network enhancements for improved reliability, and replacement of the current supervisory control and data acquisition system. The project will support an important port and save an estimated $290k per year for residents that are paying high electricity costs of $0.56/kWh. (Amount: $299,925) 

• Partners: City of Dillingham, with Nushagak Electric & Telephone Cooperative, Inc and DeerStone Consulting 

Kawerak, Inc. - Alaska: Five Bering Strait villages seek to build capacity to manage their stand-alone diesel microgrids with the addition of solar energy and storage systems provided through a planned grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. With the C-MAP award, the village members will develop governance frameworks, operational plans, and maintenance strategies for long-term system sustainability. (Amount: $295,000) 

• Partners: Villages of Brevig Mission, Teller, Koyuk, Elim, and Savoonga, with the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and DeerStone Consulting 

Kwig Power Company - Alaska: Six microgrid-powered villages across the Calista and Lower-Kuskokwim region will leverage shared cultural knowledge, technical experience, and workforce to develop strong utility models for microgrid operational and development efficiencies in the face of challenges, such as coastal erosion and land loss, permafrost thawing, and high energy costs. (Amount: $650,000) 

• Partners: Villages of Atmautluak, Chefornak, Kipnuk, Kongiganak, Kwigillingok, and Tunututuliak, and Intelligent Energy Systems, LLC 

Metlakatla Indian Community - Alaska: Metlakatla Power & Light has been modernizing and refurbishing assets across the islanded energy system and recognizes the need for a microgrid operating system to effectively incorporate the new infrastructure. The project will result in a 100% construction-ready engineering design of a microgrid controls system and capacity building for utility staff. (Amount: $315,932) 

• Partners: Metlakatla, Metlakatla Power & Light, Baker Tilly Advisory, and RESPEC 

Naknek Electric Association - Alaska: Naknek, a coastal fishing community and the host of several seasonal fish processing centers, has a load that ranges between 2 and 15 megawatts. Key upgrades to the controls on the diesel-based microgrid will allow for direct efficiency gains, incorporation of a battery for reserve power, and future addition of local generation to meet fluctuating demand. (Amount: $393,184) 

• Partners: Naknek, Electrical Power Systems, and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 

Native Village of Kluti-Kaah - Alaska: Facing poor power quality and frequent power disruptions, the Kluti-Kaah Tribe seeks to analyze the costs, benefits, and feasibility of implementing a grid-connected microgrid with local energy production compared to upgrading long distribution lines to meet increasing loads and resilience goals. (Amount: $279,100) 

• Partners: Copper Center, Copper Valley Electric Cooperative, Electric Power Systems, and DeerStone Consulting 

Nome Joint Utility Systems - Alaska: Nome's project focuses on system upgrades to their diesel-powered microgrid with expected direct efficiency gains, while also priming for future integration of additional on-site generation. Upgrading the supervisory controls system, the microgrid controls, and the feeder and transformer relays should reduce energy costs by 20% to 30%. (Amount: $398,918) 

• Partners: City of Nome, Electrical Power Systems, Kawerak Inc., and Village of Soloman 

Oceti Sakowin Power Authority - South Dakota: Five Sioux Tribes are collaborating to improve reliable energy services for key Tribal businesses and adjacent Tribal housing. Developing a common approach will improve sustained stewardship of existing energy infrastructure and incorporation of assets that have been acquired but not effectively integrated. (Amount: $546,425) 

• Partners: Cheyenne River, Crow Creek, Oglala, Rosebud, and Yankton Sioux, SD, and Colusa Indian Energy Corp 

Organized Village of Kwethluk - Alaska: Four villages will address low energy reliability by developing standardized microgrid configurations that balance regional scalability with community-specific flexibility. The team will explore how to increase Tribal revenues and offset fuel imports with electrification for power generation, heating, and transportation, and a model for collaborative operations and maintenance between neighbors. (Amount: $500,000) 

• Partners: Villages of Kwethluk, Akiachak, Akiak, and Tuluksak, and Intelligent Energy Systems, LLC 

Tanadgusix Corporation (TDX) Power, LLC - Alaska: The utility of an Aleutian fishing community will revitalize an existing microgrid, remedying efficiency and functionality issues across several assets, in collaboration with the community and major businesses. The goal is to reduce fuel consumption by up to 100,000 gallons per year and reduce energy costs by upwards of $450k per year. (Amount: $221,123) 

• Partners: Town of Sand Point, Tanadgusix Corporation, Alpine Energy Group, DeerStone Consulting, and Trident Seafoods 

Tanana Chiefs Conference - Alaska: Tanana Chiefs Conference will use C-MAP funding and technical assistance to solve persistent operational challenges in the Hughes microgrid with a focus on the microgrid controller, power inverter, and improved integration and interoperability of diesel, PV, and battery assets for improved long-term system sustainability. (Amount: $400,000) 

• Partners: Town of Hughes, Electrical Power Systems, and Generac Industrial Power (Ageto) 

The Kuskokwim Corporation - Alaska: The Kuskokwim Corporation will complete a full design with implementation and maintenance plans for a microgrid integrating diesel, PV, and battery energy storage. The system is expected to reduce fuel consumption by 25% and save community members approximately $90,000 per year on energy costs. (Amount: $298,500) 

• Partners: Villages of Upper and Lower Kalskag, DeerStone Consulting, and the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative 

Washoe County - Nevada: Washoe County will assess feasibility and economics of a community-scale multi-technology microgrid to provide backup power to the town of Gerlach, which is located at the outer reaches of the regional transmission lines and faces frequent winter power disruptions. (Amount: $295,000) 

• Partners: Town of Gerlach, Gerlach General Improvement District, the Gerlach Citizen's Advisory Board, Nevada Clean Energy Fund, and Nevada Energy 

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.