Not Reinventing the Wheel: Using Information from Past Projects

clock April 20, 2012 14:40 by author Bulletin Board
Leveraging past work enables DOE to save time and money. For example, one Recipient used data collected from a previous residential solar photovoltaic (PV) project to advance new efforts to integrate these distributed energy systems into the regional power grid.

This Recipient, a publicly-owned utility company in the Western United States, is using Recovery Act funds to determine the best configuration for integrating small PV systems into the power grid, including an analysis of storage and transmission needs. Two types of configurations are being tested, using a select group of residential customers with grid-connected solar PV systems. The project involves collaboration with a half dozen other entities, including companies in the construction, engineering, and solar power industries. [More]

Enhancing Project Management with Effective Project Communication

clock April 13, 2012 16:14 by author Bulletin Board
Well-run projects generally have effective communications occurring among project participants. This is even more critical when the Recipient is a consortium consisting of multiple members and different teams from academia, industry, and government. One such complex Recipient is utilizing a web-based communications tool that identifies ongoing research, development, demonstration, and deployment activities in order to communicate with its various members as well as the interested public. [More]

Making Tough Decisions Upfront Can Ensure Ultimate Project Success

clock April 6, 2012 15:06 by author Bulletin Board
The realization that things are not working out – and that it’s time to cut losses – is never easy and requires difficult decisions. In the long run, making difficult decisions can be worth it if the project is successfully completed or taxpayer dollars are saved.

This happened with a project to build a wind turbine drive-train test facility. Bringing a high dollar, high capital asset facility online requires a range of complex and overlapping activities such as designing, permitting, constructing, and commissioning. To meet the schedule, specialized skills were needed to successfully complete key activities. However, a few months into the project, it became clear that the sub-recipient lacked the requisite skills to design this particular type of facility. [More]