Virgin Islands Energy Office awarded $625,000 for hurricane shelter micro-grid project on St. Croix

The Virgin Islands Energy Office received $625,000 in fiscal 2019 funding through the Energizing Insular Communities grant program administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, according to a Government House announcement published on Oct. 29, 2019.

The agency said it would use the grant to develop a solar-plus-storage micro-grid pilot project at the St. Croix Educational Complex emergency hurricane shelter on St. Croix.

According to the announcement, the micro-grid was intended to help the shelter operate during extended power outages, reduce reliance on fossil-fuel generators, and offset some of the school’s energy costs during normal grid operations.

The project also included micro-grid design and operations and maintenance certification training, which the government said was intended to support similar projects at emergency support facilities across the territory.

The Energy Office said it developed the proposal with the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services.

Official source: https://www.vi.gov/energy-office-receives-625000-from-interior-department-to-support-energy-resilience-efforts-at-hurricane-shelters/