ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ

Strengthening long-term energy resilience: Lessons from Cordova

By Daisy Huang and George Reising
July 31, 2026

Operating an isolated microgrid requires constant adaptation. As technologies evolve, infrastructure ages and community needs change, utilities must continually look for new ways to improve reliability, affordability and resilience. Long-term energy resilience depends not only on infrastructure and technology, but also on the people who operate, improve and sustain those systems.

Our work with the community of Cordova has reinforced this idea. Cordova is a small community on Prince William Sound in the Gulf of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, about 150 miles southeast of Anchorage. With just over 2,300 residents, the community more than 25,000 megawatt-hours of electricity each year. Industrial activities, particularly the fishing and seafood processing industries, account for the largest share of energy use.

The lessons we’ve learned there — about optimizing local energy resources while investing in future energy leaders — may help inform other small communities working to strengthen their own energy resilience.

Cordova has long been a leader in maximizing local energy resources. Like many isolated microgrid communities in ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, it has spent decades carefully balancing reliability, affordability and resilience. By harnessing local hydropower resources at Humpback Creek and Power Creek, the provides reliable power despite the community’s remote location.

The community has also invested in battery energy storage, buried power lines that improve system reliability and rate structures that encourage efficient use of locally generated electricity. Together, these efforts have supported the local economy, including Cordova’s thriving fishing industry, while helping the community adapt to changing energy needs.

Building on this history of innovation, we have spent the past several years working alongside the Cordova community to better understand local energy needs and prepare for future challenges. As researchers and educators at the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Center for Energy and Power, we’ve come to appreciate not only Cordova’s remarkable natural environment but also the people whose creativity and commitment continue to drive innovation.

Our work has focused on two complementary goals: identifying new ways to improve the use of local energy resources and helping prepare the next generation of community energy leaders.

Unleashing the full potential of local resources

One area of our research focuses on the , a critical facility serving residents throughout the region. With support from , the medical center installed an advanced metering system to monitor electricity, space heating and domestic hot water throughout the year.

Like the rest of Cordova, the hospital is connected to Cordova’s microgrid but can produce its own power under emergency circumstances. Making the best use of available renewable energy is, therefore, especially important.

Working with the medical center’s staff and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, ACEP researchers analyzed the facility’s energy use to better understand how it consumes electricity and heat throughout the year. We also explored how excess hydropower — energy that might otherwise go unused — could be used for space heating, reducing reliance on diesel and maintaining reliability.

Because hospitals are critical community infrastructure, the insights gained in Cordova may also help inform energy planning for other small ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ communities facing similar challenges.

Preparing the next generation of energy leaders

Improving today’s energy systems is only part of building long-term resilience. Communities also need people prepared to operate, maintain and improve those systems in the future.

We’ve found that energy challenges facing small microgrid communities provide meaningful opportunities for local students to engage in science, technology, engineering and math. Through ACEP’s partnership with the program, students explore real-world energy challenges in their own communities, connecting classroom learning with practical problem-solving.

For example, in February 2023, middle and high school students from Cordova and across ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ conducted an energy assessment of Cordova’s Orca Adventure Lodge. Using thermal cameras, drones and other technologies, they collected data, evaluated building performance and developed recommendations to improve energy efficiency.

This type of hands-on experience also helps address a growing workforce need. In small communities like Cordova, utility workers, engineers and technicians often perform many roles, and replacing decades of local knowledge can be challenging. As experienced workers retire across ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, helping students explore energy careers is an investment in the next generation of leaders who will maintain and strengthen community energy systems.

Looking ahead

Whether we’re exploring new uses for excess hydropower at the community hospital or helping students discover careers in energy, both projects share the same objective of strengthening long-term energy resilience.

Cordova’s experience shows that long-term energy resilience isn’t built through a single technology or project. It’s built over time through thoughtful investment, strong local partnerships and a commitment to preparing the next generation to carry that work forward.

This work relates to the Department of Navy award N00014-22-1-2049 issued by the Office of Naval Research. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Naval Research.

---
Daisy Huang is an associate professor of energy and George Reising is the lead curriculum developer at the University of ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Fairbanks ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Center for Energy and Power. Huang and Reising appeared on in June 2026 to discuss ACEP's work in Cordova.