The STRONG GRID Act of 2026

The proposed Supporting Transformative Resilience, Operations, and Next-Generation Grid Innovation Deployment (STRONG GRID) Act of 2026 would create new federal support for microgrid development, energy resilience planning, technical assistance, and demonstration projects across the United States. The legislation would authorize $500 million in state-administered resilience grants and an additional $200 million for innovative microgrid demonstration projects while encouraging states to modernize interconnection and resilience planning practices.

For rural school districts such as Sault Area Public Schools (SAPS) and North Dickinson County Schools (NDCS), the legislation could provide a pathway to transform educational facilities into resilient community infrastructure capable of maintaining operations during extended power outages, supporting emergency response, and reducing long-term energy costs while enhancing learning opportunities.

Why the Bill Matters

The STRONG GRID Act is responding to a broader national problem: the electric grid is under increasing pressure from extreme weather, rising electricity demand, and growing dependence on digital and essential services. In 2025 alone, the United States experienced 23 billion-dollar weather disasters, with total losses exceeding $115 billion. At the same time, electricity demand is expected to grow significantly as communities electrify transportation, buildings, and industry, creating more stress on the system during peak periods and outages.

The bill is built around microgrids—localized energy systems that can generate, store, and distribute power independently of the wider grid. That matters because microgrids can keep critical services operating when the larger grid is damaged or overloaded, whether during a storm, wildfire, flood, or major reliability event. In the language of the legislation and its supporters, the goal is not only to harden infrastructure, but also to reduce recovery costs, improve energy security, and give communities more flexibility in how they power essential facilities. From an economic perspective, resilience also reduces the hidden costs of outages, including lost instructional time, disrupted public services, and higher emergency and operating expenses.

The bill was introduced by Senator Peter Welch of Vermont and is supported by a coalition of energy, grid, and manufacturing organizations, including the GridWise Alliance, the National Association of State Energy Officials, and the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. That mix of support reflects the broad view that microgrids are increasingly important tools for resilience, reliability, and future electricity planning.

Executive Summary

The STRONG GRID Act is significant because it aligns closely with how these schools are already being envisioned in their long-range plans. District facilities are no longer just places for instruction; they are already being positioned as community gathering spaces, emergency shelters, workforce development hubs, broadband-enabled learning centers, and centers for public safety and civic resilience.

That alignment matters because the bill is designed to support the exact kinds of facilities that communities increasingly depend on during disruptions: schools, public safety sites, health-related services, broadband access points, and other critical community infrastructure. Rather than treating resilience as a separate add-on, the bill frames it as a core planning issue for communities that need reliable power and communications when the broader system is stressed.

The bill explicitly prioritizes projects that:

  • improve energy resilience;
  • improve electric service reliability;
  • support rural communities;
  • deploy distributed and renewable energy resources; and
  • address needs identified in emergency preparedness and energy security planning.

These priorities closely align with the goals already embedded in SAPS and NDCS planning for school modernization, community infrastructure, and long-term resilience.

Why This Matters for Rural Michigan Schools

Both districts have developed long-range visions that extend beyond education alone. Their facilities increasingly serve as:

  • community gathering spaces;
  • emergency shelters;
  • workforce development hubs;
  • broadband-enabled learning centers; and
  • centers for public safety and civic resilience.

The STRONG GRID Act explicitly prioritizes projects that strengthen resilience and support rural communities. In practice, that means the legislation could make it easier for districts to plan for outages, investment, and long-term community service in a coordinated way.

Benefits for Sault Area Public Schools

1. Resilient Community Campus

SAPS is pursuing a consolidated campus model that brings elementary, secondary, career and technical education, early learning, athletics, and community functions into one integrated educational ecosystem.

Under the STRONG GRID Act, a campus microgrid could:

  • maintain critical school operations during utility outages;
  • support emergency communications;
  • provide backup power for learning spaces;
  • maintain heating, cooling, and food service functions; and
  • support public shelter operations during severe weather events.

The bill specifically recognizes microgrids that incorporate generation resources, energy storage, demand management, and other distributed energy assets.

2. Enhanced Broadband and Communications Resilience

SAPS has explored advanced connectivity strategies, including connected school buses and integrated infrastructure.

A resilient campus powered by a microgrid could help ensure:

  • continuity of broadband access;
  • functionality of emergency communications;
  • continued operation of critical network infrastructure; and
  • support for distance learning during disruptions.

Because microgrids can operate independently from the larger electric grid, they can help protect communications systems that increasingly serve as essential educational infrastructure.

3. Career and Technical Education Opportunities

The district’s Career and Technical Education programs could become living laboratories for:

  • renewable energy systems;
  • energy storage technologies;
  • smart grid operations;
  • cybersecurity; and
  • distributed energy resource management.

The legislation also supports deployment, operation, maintenance, and workforce training activities associated with microgrids.

Regional Workforce Development Through the Cloverland Training and Technology Center

The Cloverland Training and Technology Center (CTTC) represents a unique opportunity to align energy resilience investments with long-term workforce and economic development goals across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. While the STRONG GRID Act focuses on strengthening critical infrastructure through microgrids, distributed energy resources, energy storage, cybersecurity, and resilience planning, the long-term success of these investments will depend upon the availability of a skilled workforce capable of designing, deploying, operating, and maintaining these increasingly sophisticated systems. The legislation specifically identifies workforce training, operations, maintenance, and technical assistance as eligible activities, creating an opportunity for regional training institutions to serve as critical implementation partners.

The CTTC could function as a regional center of excellence for energy, communications, and infrastructure resilience, bringing together school districts, electric utilities, higher education institutions, workforce agencies, and community organizations to support the development of the next generation of technicians and infrastructure professionals. By integrating classroom instruction with hands-on demonstrations and real-world operational environments, the center could provide practical training in microgrid technologies, renewable energy systems, battery energy storage, advanced metering infrastructure, distributed energy resource management, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and industrial cybersecurity. Such programs would directly support the workforce development objectives embedded within the STRONG GRID Act while helping address growing labor shortages across the utility, telecommunications, and energy sectors.

A regional approach would also allow school modernization initiatives at Sault Area Public Schools and North Dickinson County Schools to become living laboratories for workforce development. Students participating in Career and Technical Education programs could gain exposure to emerging technologies through internships, apprenticeships, dual-enrollment opportunities, and project-based learning experiences connected to operational microgrids, broadband networks, and resilient community infrastructure. Rather than viewing energy systems as isolated facilities components, students would learn how energy, communications, cybersecurity, automation, and public safety systems operate as interconnected infrastructure supporting modern communities. This approach reinforces the broader vision of schools as community resilience assets while creating pathways into high-demand technical careers.

The CTTC could also serve as a platform for utility and community workforce training beyond the K-12 environment. Electric cooperative personnel, municipal employees, emergency managers, broadband technicians, building operators, and first responders increasingly require knowledge of integrated technology systems that span energy, communications, and cybersecurity domains. Regional training programs could provide continuing education and professional development opportunities that enhance operational readiness while supporting local economic development. By retaining training capacity within the region, communities could reduce dependence on external expertise and strengthen local resilience capabilities over time.

From an economic development perspective, the CTTC offers an opportunity to create the human infrastructure necessary to support future investments in grid modernization, advanced manufacturing, electrification, and digital infrastructure. As Michigan and the nation continue investing in resilient energy systems, communities that develop local talent pipelines will be better positioned to attract investment, support innovation, and retain skilled workers. The combination of resilient school campuses, utility partnerships, broadband infrastructure, and workforce training assets could establish Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as a model for rural infrastructure modernization and community resilience.

Strategic Opportunity

By connecting resilient school facilities, electric cooperative expertise, higher education partners, and workforce development programs, the Cloverland Training and Technology Center could serve as the region’s “human infrastructure” hub, ensuring that investments in microgrids, broadband networks, cybersecurity, and community resilience are matched by investments in the people needed to operate and sustain them. In this model, resilient infrastructure becomes more than a construction project; it becomes a platform for education, workforce development, economic opportunity, and long-term community capacity building.

Benefits for North Dickinson County Schools

1. Rural Energy Security

North Dickinson’s rural geography creates unique challenges related to electric reliability, weather events, and infrastructure costs.

The STRONG GRID Act directs states to prioritize projects benefiting rural areas. For NDCS, a microgrid could:

  • support school operations during prolonged outages;
  • reduce educational disruptions;
  • provide an emergency coordination center for surrounding communities; and
  • improve resilience for critical public services.

2. Reduced Operating Risk

Power interruptions can affect:

  • building operations;
  • transportation systems;
  • technology infrastructure;
  • student nutrition services; and
  • community services housed within school facilities.

The legislation specifically encourages projects that reduce blackout frequency, duration, and scale.

3. Community Resource Hub

A resilient school campus can serve as more than an educational facility. Future microgrid-enabled schools could function as:

  • emergency warming or cooling centers;
  • charging locations for devices and communications equipment;
  • community coordination centers during disasters; and
  • digital access hubs when surrounding infrastructure is compromised.

These applications directly support the resilience objectives described in the legislation.

Funding Opportunities

The STRONG GRID Act offers several potential funding pathways.

State Resilience Grant Program

The Department of Energy would allocate funding to state energy offices that would then provide competitive grants supporting:

  • feasibility studies;
  • engineering and design;
  • construction;
  • cybersecurity enhancements;
  • operations and maintenance; and
  • workforce training.

For school districts, this means federal support may extend from concept development through implementation.

Demonstration Project Funding

The bill establishes a separate $200 million pilot program supporting innovative microgrid deployments.

Potential school-based demonstration concepts include:

  • solar-plus-storage campuses;
  • educational microgrids supporting CTE programs;
  • district-wide energy management systems;
  • community resilience hubs; and
  • integration of broadband, emergency communications, and energy infrastructure.

Technical Assistance

The Department of Energy would provide technical assistance, education, and best-practice guidance to utilities, regulators, states, and local entities.

This support could significantly reduce planning barriers for rural districts with limited internal energy expertise.

Strategic Alignment with Existing Community Planning

The legislation complements several goals already being advanced across rural Michigan:

  • school consolidation and modernization;
  • community resilience planning;
  • broadband expansion;
  • workforce development;
  • clean energy deployment;
  • emergency preparedness; and
  • critical infrastructure modernization.

Rather than treating energy systems as standalone infrastructure, the STRONG GRID Act encourages communities to view schools as critical resilience assets capable of supporting education, public safety, and economic stability simultaneously.

Policy Recommendation

Sault Area Public Schools and North Dickinson County Schools should continue evaluating how microgrid-ready designs can be incorporated into future facilities and infrastructure planning efforts in ways that reinforce their existing vision for resilient, community-serving campuses. If enacted, the STRONG GRID Act would create a significant opportunity to leverage federal resources to build school campuses that are not only centers of learning but also anchors of community resilience, emergency preparedness, workforce development, and rural economic sustainability.

Bottom Line

The STRONG GRID Act could help transform rural school campuses from energy consumers into resilient community infrastructure assets, positioning both SAPS and NDCS as statewide models for the integration of education, broadband, emergency preparedness, and next-generation energy systems.

Sources