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DOE seeks feedback from distribution utilities on $6.5M interconnection program

DOE seeks feedback from distribution utilities on $6.5M interconnection program
(Image by Sabine Zierer from Pixabay )

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program and Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, through a partnership intermediary agreement (PIA) with ENERGYWERX, announced their intent to fund the Innovative Queue Management Solutions (iQMS) for Clean Energy Interconnection and Energization program.

This program will award $6.5 million to distribution utilities to pilot solutions for managing renewable energy and electric vehicle interconnection and energization queues. 

DOE is seeking feedback from distribution utilities on the proposed program structure through a set of market research questions by May 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET. DOE will also host an informational webinar on April 24, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET to give an overview of the program and facilitate an open discussion to gather feedback. A request for proposals for the program is expected to open in the coming weeks.

Did you know the Department of Energy’s i2X team is partnering with the interconnection event GridTECH Connect Forum? Register now and participate in DOE’s interconnection workshop and town hall June 24-26 in Newport Beach, CA.

DOE says many distribution utilities lack the tools and internal capabilities to manage large interconnection request queues for non-residential, mid-scale clean energy projects (100 kW to 5 MW) and electric vehicle charging equipment seeking to connect to the grid, leading to delays and high costs. Due to federal tax incentives and state and local decarbonization goals, the demand to build these types of projects is expected to increase.

The pilot tests funded through the iQMS program are meant to help utilities and public utility commissions understand the real-world capabilities of new software and workflow automation solutions and speed their adoption to enable faster deployment of more solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and other clean energy assets to the grid. 

DOE intends to fund pilot projects to demonstrate new interconnection queue management capabilities on actual interconnection, service load request, and energization queues within 12-18 months in at least three U.S. geographical regions. The iQMS program will be conducted in three phases, with collaboration between DOE, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, and the selected distribution utilities. 

  • Phase 1 – Prepare: At least 15 utilities, each awarded about $50,000, demonstrate that they have the capability to implement new queue management optimization software.
  • Phase 2 – Test: The 10 best-performing Phase 1 participant utilities will each be awarded about $150,000 to test their selected tools via analysis of previously proposed clean energy projects.
  • Phase 3 – Pilot: The 5 best-performing Phase 2 participant utilities will each be awarded about $400,000 to pilot new capabilities on real interconnection projects.

DOE is seeking feedback from distribution utilities to gauge the interest in, need for, and feasibility of the proposed program prior to issuing a request for proposals. Those interested can visit the ENERGYWERX website and sign up for a Ratio account to view and respond to the questions. Feedback is due by May 2, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET.

In March, the DOE announced the Innovation Interconnection e-Xchange (i2X) Solar and Wind Transmission for Future Transmission (SWIFTR) funding opportunity, which will provide up to $10 million to develop new analytical tools and approaches to accelerate the reliable interconnection of solar, wind, and battery energy storage systems into the electric grid.

This funding opportunity announcement (FOA) seeks applications to address the challenges in the transmission system interconnection processes by creating software tools that can simulate the effect of new clean energy plants on existing grid infrastructure, and by providing data to project developers.

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