DOE Issues Request For Information On Clean Energy For Remote Alaskan Communities

DOE — The Energy Department announced today a Request for Information (RFI) to help shape the design of a newly proposed initiative – a Remote Alaskan Communities Energy Efficiency Competition. Aligning with President Obama’s commitment to combat climate change and assist remote Alaskan Communities, the goal of the proposed $4 million initiative is to significantly accelerate efforts by remote Alaskan communities to adopt sustainable energy strategies, through a competitive effort to elicit the best approaches.

The proposed Remote Alaskan Communities Energy Efficiency Competition will be designed to empower remote Alaskan communities to develop and implement solutions that can effectively advance the use of reliable, affordable, clean-energy and energy-efficient solutions that are applicable throughout rural Alaska and potentially in other Arctic regions.

“The Energy Department is committed to helping Alaskan communities develop clean, affordable and reliable energy options,” said Kathleen Hogan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency.

The Department’s Office of Indian Energy and Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced the RFI today during the Association of Village Council Presidents Annual Convention in Bethel, Alaska. The RFI is intended to gather feedback from Alaskan remote rural community leaders, village councils, community organizations, energy service companies, and other government and non-government organizations to ensure the goals and activities of the initiative are relevant to remote, rural Alaskan communities. Issues of interest include competition design, community energy needs, energy consumption data collection, and partnership needs.

“Maximizing the development and deployment of scalable clean energy solutions that address climate and energy challenges of Alaska Native villages is a high priority for our office—not only because it’s central to our mission but because our work in rural Alaska will put rural Alaskans on the cutting edge of solving the broader energy challenges faced by remote, islanded communities throughout the Arctic region and around the world,” said Chris Deschene, Director of the Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs.

In the Arctic region, DOE supports efforts to improve energy delivery, and reliability, deploy efficient and renewable energy solutions, improve understanding of and addressing the impacts of climate change in the region, and protect the environment. This proposed initiative builds on existing programs supporting rural communities in Alaska, such as the Office of Indian Energy’s work with Alaska Native Villages.