DOE pledges millions for microgrids in Alaska, South Dakota, and Nevada

The Trump administration’s Department of Energy is cutting billions in funding for some green tech maneuvers, and announcing millions for others.

Earlier this week, the DOE announced $8 million specifically for “microgrid innovation” in Alaska, Nevada, and South Dakota as part of the department’s Community Microgrid Assistance Partnership (C-MAP) program. Of the 14 municipalities, nonprofits, unions, and businesses that received shares of that funding, 12 are located in Alaska—where there are already more than 200 microgrids. The funding will support the modernization of power systems to avoid outages and “prioritize local energy supply chains” to lower energy bills, among other things.

“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,” Erin Whitney, director of the DOE’s Arctic Energy Office, said in a press release. “These C-MAP investments will play an outsized role in propelling these communities forward.”

While it’s unclear if the microgrids that will be supported by the influx of C-MAP funding will run in part or entirely on renewable energy, the department’s release mentions that the program will be working with Renewable Energy Alaska Project and is administered by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

And the program seems to be something of a pilot from the DOE: Dan Ton, C-MAP’s lead for the Office of Electricity, said in a release that “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. 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.”

The announcement comes days after DOE Secretary Chris Wright canceled almost $4 billion in funding for decarbonization and carbon sequestration projects.

“The Trump administration is doing our due diligence to ensure we are utilizing taxpayer dollars to strengthen our national security, bolster affordable, reliable energy sources and advance projects that generate the highest possible return on investment,” Wright said in a statement.