ANNAPOLIS, MD—The state of Maryland has announced the recipients of $9.4 million in grants to 21 organizations that will help them become more resilient to power outages and other emergencies.

The funding, which is being distributed by the Maryland Energy Administration, will allow critical infrastructure, including housing, medical facilities, and higher education institutions, to offset the costs of planning, designing, and constructing microgrids, which are clusters of fuel-efficient distributed generators and distributed energy storage that can continue to provide electricity in areas of the state that are impacted by severe weather events or other disruptions.

“Preparedness and innovation go hand-in-hand. By investing in new ways to guard our communities against emergencies and disasters, we don’t just make Maryland more resilient – we also make Maryland more competitive,” said Governor Wes Moore. “Together, we are building a state that can withstand any challenge and any threat.”

The Resilient Maryland Program funds projects in a variety of categories, including: preconstruction planning grants, capital support funding for equipment and installation, and residency hub grants for solar energy and battery storage systems that serve as community hubs during power outage situations.

“Maryland faces a growing number of threats to its power infrastructure. The many challenges, from climate change to terrorism, impact all of us — especially our communities that are overburdened and underserved,” said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul Pinsky. “By getting off fossil fuels and building more resilient energy systems, we can combat these challenges and build a cleaner, more resilient future for Maryland.”

The full list of grant recipients can be viewed online here.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.

Photo via Pixabay