Knowledge-Sharing Network
Get access to resources supporting past, current, and prospective communities and partners in the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project (ETIPP), a technical assistance program managed by NREL.
Community Outreach Resources
Resources for engaging community members in energy transitions
Liberating Structures: Including and Unleashing Everyone
The Liberating Structures website offers practices, activity ideas, and workshops
about including and engaging people to work together.
Resilient Leadership Framework
This guide from the Island Institute, an ETIPP regional partner organization, offers
examples and activities for developing organizational, team, and individual leadership.
The Electric Utility Toolkit
This toolkit from the Union of Concerned Scientists provides specific information
about electric utilities in each state and explanatory materials that demystify power
sector jargon. The page includes a list of actions and next steps geared toward building
a more just and inclusive electric utility system.
The Spectrum of Community Engagement to Ownership
This 13-page tool from Facilitating Power explains how to engage with communities
commonly excluded from democratic voice and power through deep participation.
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Energy Planning Resources
Handbooks, guides, and other materials for conducting community energy planning
Alaska Strategic Energy Plan and Planning Handbook
This U.S. Department of Energy Office (DOE) of Indian Energy handbook provides a process
for Alaska Native Villages and communities to define their energy goals and develop
a strategic energy plan.
Community-Driven Climate Resilience Planning: A Framework
This 30-page report by the National Association of Climate Resilience Planners teaches
cities how to conduct community-driven climate resilience planning.
Community Energy Planning: Best Practices and Lessons Learned in NREL's Work With
Communities
This document from the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis includes best
practices for community energy planning that NREL practitioners and others can apply
to strengthen their impact.
Community Greening: How to Develop a Strategic Energy Plan
This guide from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy provides
a step-by-step approach to strategic electricity planning for communities, a method
rooted in stakeholder buy-in and political commitment.
Energy Transitions Playbook
This downloadable Energy Transitions Initiative guide from DOE provides a flexible
framework that includes recommended actions, experiential insights, and links to relevant
resources for seven basic phases of an energy transition.
Equitable Home Electrification Toolkit
This RMI toolkit helps communities develop a roadmap to equitably electrify existing
housing stock and facilitate engagement between local governments and community organizations
in the planning process.
Guide to Community Energy Strategic Planning
This DOE guide walks through a step-by-step approach to creating a strategic energy
plan for local governments and communities, including tools and tips to complete each
step and examples of successful planning efforts.
National Resilience Guidance
This Federal Emergency Management Agency guide outlines information regarding how
individuals, communities, and organizations can strengthen their resilience by understanding
factors that can create shock and stress, incorporating resilience planning into existing
activities, and implementing resilience efforts.
Strategic Energy Planning: A Guide for Rural Alaska Communities
This guide from the Denali Commission helps Alaskan villages learn how to bring together
stakeholders at the regional, state, and federal levels to map out solutions that
support independent, reliable, affordable energy futures.
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Energy Technology 101 Resources
Trainings, videos, presentations, and articles about renewable energy technology and basic energy concepts
A Deep Dive Into Heat Pumps With Mitsubishi
This hourlong workshop on YouTube by Mitsubishi, recorded at a live event, gives an
overview of heat pump technology—from how heat pumps operate to how heat pump adoption
could impact global energy demand.
Demand Response in the Northwest: Part 1
This article from the NW Energy Coalition offers an introduction to demand response,
including key definitions, challenges, and opportunities in the Northwest United States.
Electric Boat Course
These classes from the Island Institute, Kennebec Valley Community College, Mid-Coast
School of Technology, Maine Electric Boat Company, and Bayside Marine combine online
and in-person learning for people interested in learning about electric boat foundations
and maintenance.
Home Energy Audit and Blower Door Test
This short video from Zwell introduces viewers to conducting a home energy audit and
retrofitting homes to improve their energy efficiency.
NREL Energy Basics
This webpage provides links to overviews of renewable energy resources—including biomass,
geothermal, hydrogen, hydropower, marine, solar, and wind—and energy efficiency practices
in manufacturing, buildings, transportation, and other fields.
Ocean Energy Systems
The website for Ocean Energy Systems, a program of the International Energy Agency,
houses technical reports, tools, news, and information about events related to marine
renewable energy.
RE100: Introduction to Renewable Energy
Solar Energy International offers a 6-hour free online course that covers renewable
energy basics, technologies and trends, solutions that are most appropriate for different
energy systems, and reducing personal energy consumption.
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ETIPP Community Technical Reports and Presentations
Final reports and presentations produced from ETIPP technical assistance projects
Eastport, Maine
Eastport Energy Resilience Opportunities
Islesboro, Maine
Planning for a Sustainable and Resilient Energy System in Islesboro, Maine (presentation)
Planning for a Sustainable and Resilient Energy System in Islesboro, Maine (report)
Sitka, Alaska
Wainwright, Alaska
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Funding Guidance and Opportunities
Funding guidance for communities and other stakeholders in energy transition projects
American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator Funding Guidance
This American Cities Climate Challenge tool allows users to search for federal funding
opportunities and resources for decarbonization efforts, including electricity, transportation,
buildings, and resilient energy systems.
Climate Capital Guidebook
This PDF guidebook from the White House, updated in May 2024, highlights federal funding
opportunities for small- and medium-sized businesses that focus on clean energy technology
and climate solutions.
Communities Local Energy Action Program Funding Database
This DOE database includes grants, loans, prizes, tax credits, and other federal funding
opportunities across topic areas such as capacity building, energy justice, rural
communities, specific technologies, and workforce development.
Energy and Infrastructure Funding in Rural Alaska: Barriers and Potential Solutions
This DOE paper, prepared for Alaska Venture Fund, outlines the challenges that Alaska's
Tribal, rural, and remote communities face in accessing federal funding and potential
solutions to reducing those barriers.
Grants.gov Search Grants
This searchable database allows users to filter grant opportunities by keyword, status,
funding type, eligibility, category, and funding agency and includes a range of open
and future grants.
Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization:
Funding Clearinghouse
This database lists funding opportunities available to energy communities through
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.
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Project Development Resources
Resources for developing clean energy projects
Deployment Readiness Framework for Marine Energy
This DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy paper explains the potential
for marine energy development as part of clean energy transitions in island and remote
coastal communities.
Distributed Renewables for Arctic Energy: A Case Study
This study by NREL and the Renewable Energy Alaska Project offers insight into the
needs and challenges of Alaskan communities that are interested in adding renewables
to their energy systems.
Renewable Energy Project Development Toolbox
This U.S. Environmental Protection Agency hub compiles resources on policies and regulations,
economics, financing, contracts, project development, renewable energy claims, and
other topics related to renewable energy projects.
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Technical Assistance Resources
Lists, databases, and videos about renewable energy technical assistance opportunities for communities
Clean Energy States Alliance Directory of Clean Energy Technical Assistance Opportunities
for States
This searchable list compiles federal technical assistance opportunities available
to states, territories, local governments, Tribes, and other entities from a range
of federal agencies and organizations.
DOE Technical Assistance YouTube videos
This series of short videos offers basic information about energy technical assistance and related topics, including building capacity, renewable technologies, finance, planning, and utilities.
Critical Facilities and Hazards
Environmental Effects of Marine Energy
Island and Remote Project Finance
Marine Energy Resource Characterization and Siting
State and Local Solution Center Resource Database
This searchable database of resources is designed for state and local governments,
K-12 school districts, and community-based nonprofits to support strategic decision-making
in energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.
Technical Assistance
This compilation of technical assistance programs from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, is broken down by different renewable technology areas.
Weatherization Assistance Program Technical Assistance Center
These resources from the National Association for State and Community Services Programs
include trainings, tools, and technical assistance providers for weatherization activities.
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Tools and Models
Tools and modeling software for community energy planning
Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
This map shows disadvantaged census tracts and how they are overburdened and/or underserved
in categories including climate change, energy, health, housing, pollution, transportation,
water and wastewater, and workforce development.
The Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption Model
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Distributed Energy Resources Customer Adoption
Model (DER-CAM) is a modeling and decision support tool that provides estimations
for distributed energy resource project sizing and costs.
ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager
The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is an interactive resource management tool that
allows users to benchmark the energy use of any type of building in a secure online
environment.
Microgrid Design Toolkit
This decision support software from Sandia National Laboratories identifies and characterizes
early-stage microgrid designs based on user-defined inputs and goals, such as cost,
performance, and reliability.
PVWatts® Calculator
NREL's PVWatts Calculator helps homeowners, small building owners, solar installers,
and manufacturers estimate the energy production of potential rooftop solar installations
throughout the world.
Renewable Energy Alaska Project Library
Renewable Energy Alaska Project, an ETIPP regional partner, has a virtual library
that houses a collection of resources related to energy education, research, policy,
finance, workforce, and other renewable energy topics.
REopt®: Renewable Energy Integration and Optimization
NREL's REopt web tool helps users evaluate the economic viability of distributed energy
resources, estimate correct sizing for energy systems, and identify strategies to
reduce energy costs.
Resilient Node Cluster Analysis Tool (ReNCAT)
ReNCAT, a tool created by Sandia National Laboratories, helps stakeholders identify
potential portfolios of microgrids within one or multiple communities that would balance
equitable access to critical services with minimal investment costs.
State and Local Planning for Energy (SLOPE)
This NREL online platform allows energy planners to view energy data and compare future
energy and emissions scenarios to make data-driven decisions surrounding local energy
and decarbonization.
System Advisor Model™
This NREL desktop application provides a performance and financial analysis for renewable
energy systems and energy technologies.
U.S. Energy Information Administration
The U.S. Energy Information Administration tracks data and contains information about
energy forecasts, energy prices, carbon dioxide emissions, energy disruptions, and
other statistics surrounding the U.S. energy system.
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Workforce Development Resources
Resources for building workforce capacity, as well as tools for internship- and job-seekers
Clean Energy Internships for Students
This portal from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center connects college students and
recent graduates with year-round paid internships at Massachusetts clean energy and
water innovation companies.
Island Institute Fellows
Island Institute's fellowship program places recent graduates in Maine's island and
coastal communities for two years, during which fellows help build community capacity
by meeting community-stated needs through project-based work.
Living Wage Calculator
The Living Wage Calculator helps individuals, communities, employers, and others estimate
the local wage rate that a full-time worker requires to cover the costs of their family's
basic needs where they live.
Maine Clean Energy Jobs Network
This online job directory connects jobseekers to Maine-based clean energy employment
and training opportunities, and allows employers to share job openings that support
clean energy generation, storage, energy efficiency, fuels, or transportation.
ReMaine Energy Internship Program
This program, funded by the Maine Governor's Energy Office, places entry-level candidates
interested in clean energy into paid short-term roles with Maine employers and subsidizes
their wages by 50%.
Workforce Planning and Development
The Alaska Department of Administration's Personnel and Labor Relations Workforce
Planning and Development initiative offers trainings and publications for workforce
planning, knowledge transfer, and other succession planning tasks.
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Contact Us
To recommend additional resources that would be helpful to include in ETIPP's Knowledge-Sharing Network, please contact ETIPP@nrel.gov.
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