Converge Strategies Service
Partnerships and Network Building
Areas of Impact
Department Of Defense Energy Resilience
In Short
How do you empower our energy resilience leaders on the ground?
We created the military’s community of practice for energy resilience.
Why It Matters
The U.S. military is a globally networked force and relies on energy for every aspect of its missions. Increasingly, energy access is at risk from climate impacts, cyber and physical threats to the grid, and aging infrastructure. Energy managers and mission operators at military bases struggle to access the latest technologies and resilience practices, and to navigate the federal bureaucracy to get things done.
What It Is
We created the Military Energy Resilience Catalyst [MERC] program with the Department of Defense to build the field of energy resilience and support critical missions. Each year, MERC recruits a cohort of energy professionals from bases across the country and matches them with the resources they need to advance resilience projects. MERC connects participating military installations with each other, with technical experts, and with military leaders to solve problems and expand the community of resilience practitioners.
Our Impact
- MERC has worked with professionals from more than 70 military installations to build their skills, grow their network, and advance the practice of energy resilience within DoD.
- MERC participants have developed projects focusing on microgrids, regional utility investment, innovative financing, regulatory engagement, electric vehicle infrastructure, and other innovations at the leading edge of energy resilience.
- MERC works with a faculty of more than 50 technical experts and DoD officials to address challenges and fast-track good ideas.
- MERC launched an online community for DoD energy practitioners, supported by the most comprehensive collection of DoD energy and resilience resources assembled.
Our Partners
MERC is sponsored by DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). Converge Strategies works in partnership with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to deliver MERC.
Resources
Here are the reports, articles, blogs, or any public deliverables produced because of this work.