Installations require abundant, reliable, and uninterrupted energy resources to ensure mission success, and while there is significant focus and funding for microgrid infrastructure to achieve those goals, there is comparatively little support for the workforce needed to design, operate, and maintain such systems. This project will expand on the successful history of energy resilience training to reach 600+ trainees by addressing the following objectives:

1. Scale standardized microgrid training by differentiated knowledge levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced) and stakeholder roles, matching training needs and delivery vectors (in-person, online, hybrid).
2. Provide a Microgrid Knowledge Assessment Tool to give insights into trainee knowledge level, and give recommendations to align participants to differentiated training levels.
3. Deliver training to Department of War (DoW) personnel and contractors developing some of the 70+ DoW microgrids.
4. Facilitate cross-collaboration between installation leadership, installation facilities, utilities, and regulators to develop resilient and cost-optimal energy solutions on faster timelines.
5. Incorporate program effectiveness (trainee evaluations) and updated standards and policies to revise content as necessary to maintain relevance and applicability.
6. Disseminate a standardized microgrid resilience knowledge set and expertise across DoW entities with continuation through DoW educational and training commands.
7. Address digital accessibility requirements for self-paced content and formalize contracting pathways for any semi-customized or live training post ESTCP funding.
8. Develop Courses of Action for sustainment of training in a Technology Transition Plan.

This program builds upon existing work in DoW job mapping and needs assessments under ESTCP EW22-7348 that identified microgrid training needs and personnel requirements for energy resilience in the DoW, and successfully delivered training to 600+ people. Needs assessments identified trainee preferences for a mix of self-paced, in-person live, and virtual live content to flexibly meet DoW stakeholder needs on-demand and where they are. Modularized training programs will pull from over 500 hours of content on energy resilience, microgrid feasibility assessment and design, power system operation, and maintenance. The standardized microgrid training programs will be complemented by semi-customized training programs that are offered on-demand with scope co-created with DoW partners. Semi-customized training programs are in high demand, and include a mix of content identified by commands selecting topics from the “menu” of existing content, plus any specialized topics for specific use cases or installation needs. Knowledge and skills assessments will provide trainees and leadership greater awareness of capabilities to meet resilience requirements, and provide an opportunity to obtain continuing education units or professional development hours.

This work will equip personnel at installations and installation management commands supporting over 70 microgrid projects underway through over $3 billion in Military Construction and Energy Resilience and Conservation Investment Program funds since FY20. Phase I of this project exceeded targeted numbers, and there is a sustained demand signal from all Service components. Targeted training will be delivered to DoW personnel and contractors who support microgrid project planning, design, procurement, and implementation phases outlined in Federal Energy Management Program's Microgrid System Project Development Checklist. Diffusion of the work through education and training commands will ensure this valuable work endures even after the current phase is complete, and provide opportunities for leadership, engineers, technicians, operators, and managers to increase preparedness and align expectations. Such work also fosters growth in internal competency through developing a modernized, highly capable force through the recruitment, development, and retention of talent both in military and civilian job roles. These success indicators and scaled training will improve the capacity of installations to meet mission-critical power needs for 7-14 days, reduce costs of critical load protection, and reduce overall operation costs. (Anticipated Project Completion - 2028)