Maryland Energy Administration releases new funding for building resilient microgrids

A microgrid owned by PG&E in California.

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) announced new funding for microgrids, resilient facility power systems, resiliency hubs and other distributed energy resource systems that bring affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to Maryland communities and organizations sensitive to power disruption.

In Fall of 2021, MEA provided funds through the Resilient Maryland and Resiliency Hub programs to generate opportunities for increased DER deployment across the state to help mitigate against the harmful effects of power outages caused by severe weather, malicious cyber incidents and other threats to the integrity of Maryland’s power grid.

“Our state continues to be a leader and innovator in a growing clean energy economy and the projects that these programs fund are proof of those efforts,” said Mary Beth Tung, director of the Maryland Energy Administration. “Microgrids, resiliency hubs and other systems, in addition to clean and efficient energy upgrades are important components of achieving a truly resilient Maryland.”

Resilient Maryland Capital Development Pilot Program

MEA has launched its Resilient Maryland Capital Development Pilot Program, a new funding opportunity from its Resilient Maryland program. This innovative pilot program will provide funds to Maryland communities, businesses, organizations, utilities, including municipal, electric cooperatives and others, to help fund the equipment, installation, commissioning and interconnection costs for comprehensive microgrid systems that each produce positive outcomes. These include bolstering the resilience of essential organizations and infrastructure for community safety and continuity, socioeconomic equity and contributing to the clean energy economy.

FY22 Resilient Maryland Planning and Design Program

MEA will reopen the FY22 Resilient Maryland planning and design program for a second round after a high-demand first round. Resilient Maryland was originally launched as a pilot in FY20 and provides funds to Maryland businesses, state and local governments and others to help offset the costs of conducting critical feasibility analysis and pre-construction planning for microgrids, resilient facility power systems and resiliency hubs.

FY22 Resiliency Hub Grant Program

MEA’s FY22 Resiliency Hub Grant Program will also return for a second round. This program provides funds to Maryland organizations to establish resiliency hubs for their communities. A resiliency hub is a community location, such as a school, community center, library, or faith-based institution, where residents can easily and safely congregate during an outage and receive emergency power to charge portable electronics such as cell phones and laptops, portable medical devices, refrigeration for temperature-sensitive items and conditioned space to remain in safe and healthy temperatures. Funds provided through this program support solar and battery energy storage systems as well as the associated racking, mounting and wiring equipment.

Application deadline

The application deadline for the Resilient Maryland Capital Development Pilot Program and Resilient Maryland Planning Program is 5 p.m. EST March 31, 2022. The deadline for the Resiliency Hub Grant Program is 5 p.m. EST March 1, 2022.

News item from the Maryland Energy Administration 

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/02/maryland-energy-administration-new-funding-resilient-microgrids/