Renewable Energy Project Assistance

Request to Receive Project Assistance from FEMP
Federal agencies interested in receiving FEMP project assistance must complete the renewable energy project assistance request form. Email the form to Boyan Kovacic. Applications will be processed on a weekly basis.

FEMP provides ongoing renewable energy project assistance and expertise in project assessment and implementation areas to help Federal agencies identify and implement renewable energy technologies. Learn about the types of project assistance available, how project assistance is funded, the application process, selection criteria, and reporting requirements.

Types of Project Assistance

Areas of renewable energy project assistance and expertise FEMP provides include:

Initial prescreening of cost-effective technologies for a given site based on high-level information, such as GIS maps of renewable energy resources and prevailing utility rates and incentives
Screenings and more detailed feasibility studies that identify and recommend the best opportunities at a site or sites
Early project development for large-scale and utility-scale projects
Technical review of requests for proposal, scopes of work, and proposals
Technical review of designs
Acceptance testing and commissioning
Drafting protocols for operations and maintenance and measurement and verification
Renewable energy support for high-performance green buildings

How Project Assistance is Funded

Equipment, hardware, or infrastructure is not funded through FEMP's renewable energy project assistance.

Successful applicants will not receive funding directly. Funding will be provided directly by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to its national laboratories and contractors to provide project assistance.

Federal agencies can also access DOE national laboratory services directly through work for others (WFO) agreements. In a WFO agreement, an agency transfers funds to a lab for the provision of services. Labs can provide all services listed above with an emphasis on particular technologies and core expertise. Key lab staff can also be detailed to work within agencies for a limited duration (normally no more than 24 months). Read more about working with DOE national laboratories.

National laboratories do not compete with the private sector, but rather help Federal agencies get what they need from private sector sources. Federal agencies can purchase many of these technical services from private contractors through the General Services Administration Schedule.

Application Process

Federal agencies interested in receiving FEMP renewable energy project assistance must complete the renewable energy project assistance request form. The completed form should be emailed to Boyan Kovacic.

Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. FEMP will review the request to first determine the most appropriate form of assistance. Prescreenings will be selected on a monthly basis while other types of assistance will be reviewed on a quarterly basis. FEMP is committed to funding most prescreening requests. The results of prescreenings will be reviewed on a quarterly basis, with the top prescreenings automatically considered for a screening or, in some cases, a feasibility study.

Applicants will receive an acknowledgement of their request and will receive further notice if their application has been approved. Non-selected projects will stay on a potential projects list for possible funding in the future.

Once the FEMP project assistance is completed, FEMP expects agencies to follow through with project implementation activities. FEMP will follow up to check on project status.

Selection Criteria

Applications are reviewed based on the following selection criteria. Incomplete or absent responses will likely impact the success of the application. Decisive factors include project funding, projects in locations with the strongest markets for a given technology, project champion(s), and cost-sharing of FEMP's renewable energy project assistance.

To help agencies meet Federal requirements given limited FEMP resources, FEMP will prioritize projects with the greatest likelihood of success. Projects that have direct appropriations to purchase equipment or other committed funding approaches (e.g., energy savings performance contracts, utility energy service contracts, or power purchase agreements), that are cost-effective, and that have agency champions are most likely to succeed.

Additional selection criteria include:

Project Description: Clearly and concisely describe the project and its anticipated impacts, including descriptions of the facilities and any major equipment that will be impacted. Additionally, a preliminary scope of work for the project assistance request should be provided, including the general tasks that the applicant would like FEMP to complete for the project.
Federal Goals and Mission Needs: Clearly describe how the project is consistent with current renewable energy legislation and goals for Federal agencies and how the project will meet agency mission needs.
Agency Support and Project Implementation Plan: Demonstrate a commitment to follow through with project implementation and that project success is significant to the agency/facility by providing a list of project team members (technical, management, and procurement staff) committed to making the project a success must be provided. A Federal letter of interest should also be included. A sample letter of interest is available.
Potential for Replication: Describe how the proposed project will be replicated in other facilities within the agency and will offer opportunities for other Federal agencies to learn from the experience (e.g., case studies, articles, and Web-based publications).

Reporting Requirements

Selected applicants are expected to cooperate with FEMP reporting requirements to assist with project tracking. A FEMP staff member or designee will contact selected agencies to check on the project status and to request information on the updated cost and savings realized in a project.

Contact

For more information on FEMP's renewable energy project assistance or with questions pertaining to technologies, funding, and eligibility of projects, please contact the following:

Boyan Kovacic
202-586-4272
boyan.kovacic@ee.doe.gov

Tim Tetreault
303-384-7524
tim.tetrault@nrel.gov