Author: US DOE EERE Staff Published: 8/14/2024 EERE
Solar Energy Technologies Office
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 the Innovative Queue Management Solutions (iQMS) for Clean Energy Interconnection and Energization program. This program will award $11.2 million to no more than 25 distribution utilities to pilot innovative solutions for managing renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) charging interconnection and energization queues.
Many distribution utilities lack the tools and capabilities to manage large interconnection queues for non-residential, mid-scale clean energy projects (100 kilowatt to 5 megawatt) and EV 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. Distribution utilities need to implement tools and procedures to efficiently process these applications to avoid interconnection queue backlogs and long delays in connecting new clean energy projects.
DOE intends to fund pilot projects to demonstrate new interconnection queue management solutions on actual interconnection, service load, and energization queues. These tests will help utilities and public utility commissions understand the real-world capabilities of new software and workflow automation solutions and speed their adoption to enable rapid deployment of more solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, EV charging infrastructure, and other clean energy assets to the grid. Participating utilities will document and share lessons learned and best practices from their pilot projects to help other utilities manage similar interconnection and energization requests.
The iQMS program provides funding in two tracks, and applicants may apply to either or both tracks:
Track 1: Generator Interconnection ($9.2 million)
Track 2: EV Supply Equipment Load Requests ($2 million)
Applications for track 1 and track 2 are due on October 16 at 3 p.m. ET. For more information, register for the informational webinar on August 29 from 3–4 p.m. ET or attend office hours on September 19 from 3–4 p.m. ET to learn more.
This program is managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office and Wind Energy Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. This collaboration is made possible through the innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement set up by DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions.
Learn more about the iQMS program, the i2X initiative, and open funding opportunities within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.