On Oct. 21, 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the seven winners of Phase 3 of the Remote Alaskan Communities Energy Efficiency (RACEE) Competition at the Alaska Federation of Natives Conference in Fairbanks, AK. These communities were selected through a multi-phase competitive process, from a subset of 64 Alaska Community Efficiency Champions selected to receive technical assistance in phase 2 of RACEE. In phase three, up to $3.4 million in total funding is available to these selected communities to execute the energy efficiency plans they developed with technical assistance from DOE and the Alaska Energy Authority (AEA).
Successful applicants for phase 3 of the RACEE Competition demonstrated
- The potential to significantly reduce energy use in the community
- The potential of the project to impact and drive replication in other arctic communities, including consideration of plans to share data gathered and lessons learned; and
- The potential for the project impacts to be sustained and maintained into the future
These communities worked to develop plans to reduce their energy consumption in ways that support more affordable and reliable energy in the future, are effective in preserving their environment, replicable in other Alaska communities struggling to conserve expensive fuel, and above all, aligned with community priorities, so changes implemented are sustainable. The communities are:
- City of Galena
- Village of Holy Cross
- Village of Kiana
- Village of Klawock
- City of Noorvik
- City of Port Lions
- City of Ruby
And through RACEE, we look forward to seeing these communities actively share lessons learned and information gathered through their projects, so that other communities across Alaska can see how to implement similar projects in their own communities. See our new webpage on the newly launched RACEE Peer Network for more information.
The RACEE Competition is focused on developing and implementing effective, reliable solutions that fit the community’s needs, not necessarily deploying new technology for the sake of the technology’s innovative qualities. Therefore, innovation is based on the process and potential for transformative and sustainable impacts on how the community currently uses energy, and/or the potential for replication in other Alaskan communities. For example, communities that develop and implement effective strategies not currently in practice, strategies that engage the entire community to implement the energy plan, demand or supply-side projects to achieve the pledged targets, could be considered innovative.
You can view the full Funding Opportunity Announcement on EERE Exchange.
About the Competition
As part of President Obama’s commitment to fight climate change and assist remote Alaskan Communities, the Energy Department launched a $4 million initiative to significantly accelerate efforts by remote Alaskan communities to adopt sustainable energy strategies. The competition opened in December 2015 and is intended to empower remote Alaskan communities to develop and implement solutions that can effectively advance the use of reliable, affordable, clean-energy and energy-efficient solutions that are applicable throughout rural Alaska and potentially in other Arctic regions.
Remote Alaskan communities face a number of unique energy challenges, with the harsh climate and isolation combining to drive up energy costs. The Energy Department is keenly aware of Alaska’s climate challenges, and is committed to helping remote Alaskan communities deploy sustainable solutions.
For more information, contact us at AlaskaCompetition@hq.doe.gov.