By Pacific Island Times News Staff
More electric vehicle charging stations will be installed on Guam to accommodate the growing number of EVs on the road.
The University of Guam will receive $1.5 million from the Department of the Interior to build 10 level 2 EV charging stations at Chamorro Village in Hagatna and on the UOG campus in Mangilao.
Seeking to encourage residents to drive green, the local government has established the Plug-In Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Rebate Program, which offers rebates "for not more than 10 percent of the total base price of a qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle."
The fund to be received by UOG is part of the $3.25 million grant allocated for Guam through the Energizing Insular Community program. The DOI program allocated a total of $10 million for Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Guam's portion of the grant will also be used for other agencies embarking on renewable energy projects, such as the Guam Power Authority's LED lighting retrofit and installation of a solar PV system at the Ordot Chalan Pago Elementary School ($700,841); the Guam Community College's installation of a 100kW grid-tied PV system ($594,000); and the Guam Waterworks Authority's planned acquisition of six electric vehicles for its transportation fleet ($438,000).
DOI's Office of Insular Affairs has also signed an interagency agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to provide technical assistance in support of the territories’ efforts to deploy clean energy systems, improve energy security and resilience, reduce energy costs, and diversify away from dependence on petroleum-based fuels.
“The Biden-Harris administration prioritizes energy efficiency and resiliency for all Americans including the territories,” said Carmen Cantor, assistant secretary for Insular and International Affairs. “We look forward to working closely with NREL in supporting the territories’ energy needs in 2022 and beyond.”
DOI said the NREL-OIA partnership seeks to help the territories update and implement existing energy action plans, which the House Appropriations Committee called for in House Report 116-100 and will help OIA meet reporting requirements for the study of electric rates in the insular areas.
Congress called for OIA to help the territories reduce reliance and expenditures on imported fuels, develop and utilize domestic energy sources, improve the performance of energy infrastructure, and strengthen overall energy efficiency and resiliency for these island communities.
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The CNMI received EIC grants totaling $3.28 million for the following programs:
$1,408,000 for the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation to design and build a 176kW solar PV carpark structure.
$1,182,600 to the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. (CUC) for the following:
Design a 1.2MW solar PV panel and battery storage integrated facility including soil percolation tests and other environmental assessments for NEPA clearance
Contract with one renewable energy manager and two renewable energy engineers to provide direct/onsite support as CUC integrates renewable energy.
Conduct a communications evaluations study on monitoring and control systems on the CUC network to prepare for solar PV grid system integration.
$694,580 to the Office of the Governor for the following:
Install solar-powered LED lights at the Tinian Children’s Park.
Install solar-powered light systems at 15 coastal pavilions and parks on Saipan.
Install solar-powered light systems at 10 concrete multi-use pavilions around the island of Rota.
Support the CNMI Energy Task Force Renewables-Technical Development program.
EIC grants totaling $3.44 million for the U.S. Virgin Islands are distributed as follows:
$1,915,790 to the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority (VIWAPA) for acquisition of two hybrid bucket trucks for the VIWAPA and related training.
Acquisition of ten electric pickup trucks for the VIWAPA fleet, installation of charging stations, and related training.
$900,000 to the Virgin Island Energy Office to procure four light commercial electric vehicles (EV) and battery storage coupled EV chargers.
$625,636 to the University of the Virgin Islands to acquire electric golf carts and install solar EV charging stations. Funds will also purchase bicycles, charging docks and other street appurtenances to launch a pilot electric bicycle program on the campus.
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