Virginia Energy Resilience Study (VERS)

Ongoing | 2025
Lead Agency: Virginia Energy
Funding: Virginia Department of Energy

Project Summary

The Virginia Energy Resilience Study (VERS) aims to improve energy resilience for communities across the Commonwealth, particularly in the face of power outages and climate-related disruptions. The study is conducted in two phases:

• Phase 1: Develop a Community Energy Resilience Workbook and Scoring Tool to help communities assess their energy vulnerabilities.

• Phase 2: Deliver solar-plus-storage case study designs for the top 10 communities, with a focus on resilience hubs that can power essential services during grid outages.

My Role

I’m contributing to Phase 1 of the project by revising and digitizing the Community Energy Resilience Workbook. My work includes:

• Converting the original workbook into a dynamic, fillable Excel tool

• Implementing automated scoring calculations to streamline vulnerability assessments

• Adding responsive logic that adjusts questions, guidance, and recommendations based on user inputs

• Improving usability and accessibility for local governments and community partners

This tool will be used by communities across Virginia to prioritize resilience strategies and identify needs for grant support and infrastructure investment.

Key Outcomes

• Easier and more accurate assessments for community stakeholders

• Supports Virginia’s long-term energy resilience planning

• Enables targeted allocation of $10,000 community resilience grants