The Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) is requesting proposals for its Energizing Insular Communities (EIC) Program which provides grant funding for sustainable energy strategies that mitigate climate change, reduce reliance and expenditures on imported fuels, develop and utilize domestic energy sources, and improve the performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency in the territories. All proposals must be directly and explicitly tied to updated
and in-use strategic energy plans, energy action plans, or integrated resource plans. The Office of
Insular Affairs will use the following criteria in evaluating proposals:
• whether the proposal is identified and supported in the strategic energy plan, energy
action plan, or integrated resource plan;
• the projected energy cost savings.
Multiple project proposals may be submitted. Satisfactory Energizing Insular Communities
funding proposals will:
• provide a title, detailed narrative description, and budget for each proposed project
(inclusive of required NEPA compliance);
• provide a complete timeline with milestones that demonstrates the project can be
accomplished within 36 months (inclusive of required NEPA compliance);
• provide a copy of the territory’s current energy plan, and describe the connection to the
plan, impact on foreign fuel imports, and to the extent practicable, electricity costs;
• include the applicable SF-424 grant application forms; and
• include a project abstract.
EIC grant funds are not intended to supplant local funding for routine operating expenses of an
insular government or organization. EIC grant funds are not intended to fund the salaries of
local, existing employees though they may be utilized to provide temporary, short-term expertise
from contractors or consultants to help carry out the project if approved in the proposed budget.
Eligible technologies for energy supply and energy efficiency projects should incorporate
commercially available technology. This may include but is not limited to energy from solar,
wind, geothermal, geothermal heat pumps, waste to energy, and biogas. Energy storage,
transportation and grid feasibility studies are also eligible.
Examples of projects that were awarded in previous years include: distributed solar, utility-scale
solar, integrated resource planning, wind turbines, energy efficiency improvements (lighting, air
conditioning, cool rooftop, etc.), plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and supply equipment, net
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metering policies, debit meters, backup battery systems, microgrids, grid stability and integration
studies.