Phase 2 At A Glance
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During phase 2 of the distributed energy project implementation process, the agency assembles a strong project team with an energy champion, a contracting officer, pertinent personnel, and external experts and stakeholders. A project team plan and scope also helps gain commitment and establish expectations among team members.
Step 1: Engage an Energy Champion and Contracting Officer
An energy champion can be an energy manager or other staff member who will maintain project momentum, serve as the project's main point of contact, support site investigation and project development efforts, coordinate with utilities, and assist with contract development.
A contracting officer executes each step of the procurement process and ensures that project documents adhere to federal regulations while addressing specific agency needs.
Step 2: Include Pertinent Personnel and Others Affected by the Project
Questions about the interconnection process?
This distributed energy interconnection checklist provides tasks for site managers and questions to ask your utility.
A strong distributed energy project team should include agency personnel representing the facility mission as well as staff with pertinent energy management responsibility and authority. It should also include personnel affected by the project, such as finance and accounting staff, electrical engineers and technical resources, site operations managers and site planners, environmental and sustainability personnel, and legal, real property, and agency leadership.
Step 3: Engage External Experts and Stakeholders
Engaging external experts and stakeholders early in the distributed energy project development process helps agencies gain support for projects. External experts and stakeholders can include Federal Energy Management Program personnel, utility representatives, and other agencies in the area that might participate in the project. Additionally, local stakeholders including regulators, fire protection and transportation authorities, and potentially, the State Historic Preservation Officer should be consulted.
Step 4: Develop a Project Team Plan and Scope
By developing a plan and scope for the distributed energy project team, the energy champion and contracting officer can gain commitment from the resources required. A project plan can include:
- Project goals
- Timeline
- Personnel and funding resource requirements
- Individual roles and responsibilities
- Communication, reporting, and decision-making procedures
- Schedule for a kick-off meeting and regular check-in meetings to keep the project on track.
Previous Phase
Phase 1 of the distributed energy project implementation process focuses on identifying technologies and locations for a further in-depth distributed energy assessment. See Phase 1: Project Identification.
Next Phase
Phase 3 of the distributed energy project implementation process focuses on feasibility studies and project validation. See Phase 3: Project Validation.