Energy Project Planning
NREL can help develop a project plan for your agency, organization, school, campus, or company that provides the framework for a renewable energy or energy-efficient project down the road.
We can tailor our services to help you develop projects that are technically excellent, contractually and legally sound, and financially smart. We offer direct technical assistance - from the sustainable construction of buildings to the purchase of power from renewable energy sources.
We also can help you integrate an overall energy plan with your environmental planning efforts.
Learn more about our:
Experience in Strategic Planning
NREL has extensive experience in strategic planning for renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) projects.
Developing an agency or organization strategic plan (with an emphasis on implementation) provides a framework that results in the development of RE, EE, and water-efficient projects down the road. The plan begins by developing a vision and set of values regarding how the organization intends to carry out its mission.
Our Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) team has worked at all levels from the "agency level" to the "campus level" to lead collaborative processes and develop planning documents with key stakeholders. This is viewed as a vital first step to transfer knowledge into policy and market decisions. Types of strategic planning include:
- Agency-wide strategic implementation
- Regional field-level strategic plans
- Campus-wide master planning
- Sustainable design guides for facilities
Examples of strategic planning with an emphasis on implementation developed by the NREL FEMP team can be found through the following links:
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
Department of Commerce strategic plan (PDF 2.8 MB) Developed by FEMP, this implementation plan outlines the strategies that the Department of Commerce has proposed to achieve its goals for greater energy and water efficiency.
NREL General Development Vision (campus master plan) - (PDF 3.8 MB) This document showcases NREL's efforts to "walk the talk" by developing a world-renowned, high-performance research center at South Table Mountain that showcases energy technology innovation and leadership and embraces the best in energy and ecological conservation practices. It outlines the 25-year site vision, which was developed by FEMP.
Los Alamos National Laboratory Sustainable Design Guide (PDF 12.5 MB)
Labs for the 21st Century NREL has assisted in the design of many lab buildings and has documented nine of the case studies found on this Web site.
Procurement of Architectural and Engineering Services for Sustainable Buildings (PDF 1.1 MB)
A Handbook for Planning and Conducting Charrettes for High-Performance Projects (PDF 6.6 MB)
Project Screening Capabilities
A key element of project planning is screening for renewable energy opportunities. Screening over large geographic areas is done using geographical information systems (GIS) analysis where facility locations, resource data (such as solar or wind), utility prices, financial incentives, and various environmental factors are overlayed. Site-specific locations are identified in locations where various criteria intersect.
At the facility level, NREL has developed several software tools that can be used to screen for cost-effective opportunities or optimize the most cost-effective combinations of systems. Two primary software tools developed by NREL are the HOMER (micropower optimization) and FRESA (Federal Renewable Energy Screening Assistant) software programs.
Examples of screening for renewable energy opportunities (large-scale or site-specific) developed by the NREL FEMP team can be found through the following links:
Some of the following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.
An example of our GIS screening can be seen in the report Assessing the Potential for Renewable Energy on National Forest System Lands (PDF 5 MB)
The HOMER Web site is a model for evaluating design options for both off-grid and grid-connected power systems for remote, stand-alone, and distributed generation (DG) applications.
The FRESA Web site performs screenings for building- and facility-scale applications of several energy resources.
FEMP can screen for wind (on and off grid), as shown in this project in Victorville, California, highlighted in FEMP Focus.
FEMP can screen for solar and photovoltaics (on and off grid) as demonstrated through this project for the U.S. Navy, highlighted in FEMP Focus.
FEMP can help with water efficiency, as shown in this Federal Technology Report on green roofs (PDF 1.2 MB).
Project Assistance
NREL's provides technical assistance worldwide for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including:
More Information
See our energy planning publications for more information.
