Federal grant will help create plan to increase resilience of local electrical grid

The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a $500,000 grant to Lane County and its partners Emerald People's Utility District (EPUD), Springfield Utility Board (SUB), and The Center for Rural Livelihoods. The grant will help improve the resilience of electricity services and identify opportunities for renewable energy distribution.

"Extreme weather events and wildfire have become the new normal in Lane County," said Lane County Policy Director Stephen Adams. "But many of our systems are aging and were not built to withstand repeated storms and disasters. This grant will allow us to explore how we can make changes to better weather extreme weather together."

The grant will fund three technical assistance tasks:

1. The design, validation, and siting of distributed renewable energy and backup power systems, including microgrid designs, for utilities to improve reliability of services in grid outages.Important activities include technical support with the development of microgrid siting, sizing, and funding strategy, as well as the identification and validation of remote monitoring and control technologies.
2. The identification and validation of key technology upgrades for utilities.Smaller utilities in Lane County lack many of the technological advancements of their larger utility counterparts. Activities under this task will ensure that smaller cooperatives and municipalities are included in the clean energy transition.
3. The execution of a county-wide load and reliability analysis.Since Lane is comprised of over 8 service territories, a load analysis will determine optimal technology siting and essential grid improvements. This will develop a path forward for the adoption of clean energy technologies and help maximize the impact of new or ongoing energy efficiency and transportation electrification programs.

"We've seen the impact that severe winter storms and summer wildfires can have on our customers," said EPUD General Manager Kyle Roadman. "While EPUD will continue to invest in a more resilient electric system, we're also happy to be working with our partners at Lane County and SUB to explore new ways of increasing reliability."

The grant projects will take place over a three-year period. Lane County will serve as the organizer for the project and provide project management throughout the grant process. Both EPUD and SUB will provide insights into utility operations and challenges, support community outreach, and serve on the core project team. The Center for Rural Livelihoods will help with outreach to rural and underserved communities to ensure a wide range of input.

"The recent ice storm left 35,000 of our neighbors without power for an extended period, and utilities throughout the region with a $35 million repair bill," said SUB General Manager Jeff Nelson. "That's a powerful reminder that investing in resiliency keeps the lights on and our communities safe."

About the Clean Energy to Communities Program

Through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program, NREL offers in-depth technical partnerships that support communities in developing secure, reliable, resilient, equitable, and affordable clean energy systems. Learn more at www.nrel.gov/state-local-tribal/c2c-in-depth-partnerships.html.