Power outages can be particularly challenging for communities. For some, losing power means not just inconvenience but real danger. Families living in older homes may struggle more with heating and cooling, and those without financial means might be unable to afford backup power options like generators. Energy resilience helps ensure everyone can maintain a safe and stable living environment!
Virginia Energy Resilience Study (VERS)
Resilient Virginia is working with Virginia Energy and other partners on the US DOE funded Virginia Energy Resiliency Study (VERS). This project is working with communities to measure their energy resilience and identify practical long-term solutions to reduce their vulnerabilities. There are two phases of the project that will involve community participation.
Phase One – Measuring Energy Resilience
Think about the last time the electricity went out in your home. Did you have to stumble around in the dark looking for a flashlight? Maybe you couldn’t cook dinner or charge your phone. Now, imagine if this happened frequently or lasted for days. Energy resilience aims to prevent these disruptions and keep our lives running smoothly.
During this phase, communities are invited to use the Community Energy Resilience Workbook and Scoring Tool (developed by James Madison University Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy) to measure community energy resilience. By answering the questions in the workbook, they will gain insights into:
- Where energy improvements are needed
- Practical solutions to reduce or eliminate weaknesses
- Long-term solutions to meet their energy needs
Phase Two – Case Study Design Projects
During this phase, the team will work closely with ten Virginia communities on case study design projects. These case studies will result in a customized engineering design for an energy resilience hub.
NOTE: Communities can choose to participate in Phase One or Phase Two or they can choose to participate in both phases.
How Can Communities Participate?
Energy Resilience Planning Grants
The Virginia Department of Energy (Virginia Energy) is launching this application for Community Energy Resilience Grants through the U.S Department of Energy’s Renewables Advancing Community Energy Resilience (RACER) grant program. The primary objective of this work is to measure communities’ energy resilience and identify practical long-term solutions to reduce or eliminate vulnerabilities, particularly due to power outages.
All Virginia localities are invited to apply. Ten communities will be selected to receive RACER funding, which will include up to a $10,000 grant for resilience planning, and design drawings for a Community Energy Resilience Hub utilizing solar plus energy storage at a facility within the community. Selected communities can leverage the design drawings to apply for additional federal, state, or private grants for the purchase and installation.
Availability of grants is dependent on continued availability of federal funding.
Application deadline has been extended to March 31st at 5pm.
Download the application here or on Virginia Energy’s website.
Virginia Community Energy Resilience Workbook and Scoring Tool
Understand your community’s strengths and vulnerabilities during power outages with the Virginia Community Energy Resilience Workbook and Scoring Tool. Download the tool on Virginia Energy’s website.
Email Us
Email resilience@energy.virginia.gov for more information
Project Partners
