Maryland Energy Administration Announces the FY22 Resiliency Hub Grant Program

The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is pleased to announce the opening of the Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) Resiliency Hub Grant Program on July 21, 2021. The Program provides funding to solar/microgrid developers for costs incurred in the development and construction of solar plus energy storage systems to serve as “Resiliency Hubs.” The program is designed to fund the development of resiliency hubs in areas that serve the low-and-moderate-income (LMI) community. During extended electric grid outages, resiliency services such as heating and cooling, lighting, recharging cell phones, and refrigeration of temperature sensitive medications greatly reduce the stress on  residents by providing local governments with additional options to help their communities. 

In FY22, $500,000 is available for this competitive grant program. MEA will provide up to $3,000 per kilo-watt of new solar installations required to fulfill the functions of a resiliency hub. Applications will be accepted until Monday, December 6, 2021. Projects must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered for award funding. Full program information and application materials can be found in the program’s Funding Opportunity Announcement.

During Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) MEA provided a total of $1 million in awards under the FY21 Resiliency Hub program to provide capital to construct three Resiliency Hubs within Baltimore City limits. The Resilient Maryland program, with a FY20 grant to Groundswell, helped to identify prospective hub locations in Baltimore City and funded the planning and feasibility assessment as a precursor to capital support for the development of the hubs. When complete, each of these hubs will be able to support their surrounding communities by providing an anticipated 3 full days of electricity for the host facilities. Collectively these programs are supported by the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, administered by MEA, and leverage private investment. 

A full list of projects can be found here. 

Please contact David Comis, the Resiliency Hub Grant Program Manager, at david.comis@Maryland.gov or via phone at (410) 537-4063 with any questions or concerns regarding eligibility or application requirements.