The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office has partnered with NOAA’s National Sea Grant College Program to support three projects in Alaska, Guam and Hawaii with $800,000 funding and examine the role of ocean renewable energy in backing sustainable energy systems.
The funds will be utilized to conduct community engagement activities helping advance community values, perceptions, and cultural contexts around energy innovation and resilience. The projects are expected to start by summer and end of 2023.
“It is critical to support these communities as they engage in the process of identifying, planning, and developing the local clean energy resources that meet their long-term needs,” said Jonathan Pennock, director of Sea Grant.
“Sea Grant programs have developed strong relationships with local and regional organizations and communities that provide productive pathways to better understand their priorities and needs,” said Jennifer Garson, Director of DOE’s Water Power Technologies Office. “Working together allows us to bridge local needs with existing DOE priorities, investments, and programs as we work to identify ways we can harness the power of the ocean to support communities’ clean energy transitions.”
The results of these projects will help inform DOE programmatic efforts, which create innovative energy solutions.
Alaska Sea Grant will assess workforce qualifications for maintaining renewable energy systems and available technical training programs in remote coastal villages, and create informational materials with partners for communities to understand the various renewable energy options that can meet the challenges of Alaska’s environment.
While Guam Sea Grant will collect community input through an online survey on ocean renewable energy and use the results to inform Guam’s renewable energy strategy, Hawaii Sea Grant will focus on sustained dialog and relationship building between island communities across Hawaii.
