Project Development

By employing our project development models, NREL offers a broad range of advisory services that are based off commercial practices and support the entire project development process to help reduce the risks associated with energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. This includes policy and regulatory analysis, financing alternatives, project management, proposal reviews, and project risk and technology assessments.

Policy and Regulatory Analysis

NREL analyzes federal and state policies and supports regulatory implementation by comparing alternative policies and making recommendations on federal fleet mandates, local electric vehicle incentives, solar permitting standards, and more.

Project Financing Alternatives

We can help your organization identify effective public and private financing alternatives for your energy efficiency and large-scale renewable energy projects, including:

Debt financing and structures that use cash flows generated by your project
Investment and production tax credits, grants, bonds, and other types of national, state, and local incentives.

Project Management

To help define and manage projects, NREL brings traditional project management skills to the table including project planning, setting budgets and schedules, engaging resources, managing performance, and measuring impacts and reporting—all with an eye toward the unique situations encountered during clean energy project development.

Proposal Reviews

Our subject matter experts bring breadth and depth to project teams charged with implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. Our proposal review expertise includes:

Evaluating technology and financing options
Analyzing and prioritizing markets, policies, and utility incentives
Auditing and reviewing proposals by conducting utility incentive evaluations, energy baselines, and feasibility studies.

Project Risk Assessments

NREL helps clarify and manage risk in energy resources; project costs; and evolving regulatory, permitting, and retail markets through activities such as:

Evaluating project economics
Site screening
Business case development
Procurement strategies.

Technology Screening and Assessments

By using a combination of industry and NREL-developed tools we provide efficiency and renewable energy assessments for existing buildings, facilities, and states and local governments.