The city of Sanibel was recently awarded a grant from the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) to support the development of a comprehensive Strategic Energy Plan aimed at strengthening the community’s long-term resilience.
NLR is a research and development center of the Department of Energy. The grant enables the city to participate in the fifth cohort of the Energy Technology Innovation Partnership Project (ETIPP).
ETIPP helps coastal, remote and island communities move toward the energy resilience goals that they set for themselves. The program provides technical assistance through a community-driven process that identifies and plans solutions tailored to each community’s unique energy and resilience challenges.
The city reported that regional partners and technical experts will collaborate directly with the community throughout the planning process to create a plan together that includes:
– A high-level assessment of Sanibel’s current energy conditions
– A baseline of existing energy use
– Customized community goals
– A detailed action plan that outlines steps to improve energy resilience and affordability in the near, mid and long term
“Creating a strategic energy plan will bring Sanibel closer to our resilience goals,” Sanibel Chief Resilience Officer Ashlee Painter said. “This is a great opportunity for us to leverage local, regional and national experts to plan for our current and future energy needs.”
The SEP process will involve community outreach events and local stakeholder meetings to gather needs and prioritize actions.
The city noted that developing a Strategic Energy Plan is a critically important step in improving the community’s resilience to natural events and mitigating the extent and duration of future electric outages.
For more information about ETIPP, visit https://www.nrel.gov/state-local-tribal/energy-technology-innovation-partnership-project.