KEMA roadmap for Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects

Pre-grant negotiations, project management office, and reporting strategies

Ensuring a successful US Department of Energy (DOE)-funded Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects requires coordinating and managing a complex implementation project involving numerous significant activities that must be integrated through a well-controlled delivery process.

 

Utilities receiving DOE Smart Grid Investment Grants (SGIG) for their project face spending millions of dollars in a short-order—essentially overnight by utility industry standards—while navigating new government contract negotiations and reporting requirements.

 

Navigating new government SGIG requirements

KEMA has been working with a wide range of clients since the inception of the smart grid concept on smart grid initiatives—from strategic visioning to technology, data and operations integration. We also have provided guidance on a number of successful SGIG applications.

 

Our insight and experience has shown that there are a number of key success factors for utilities to focus on to move their SGIG projects forward effectively, efficiently and with the desired outcomes:

• SGIG award negotiations

• Establishing the project management office (PMO)

• DOE reporting strategies

KEMA SGIG project successes – solutions from a position of knowledge

KEMA has been working extensively the nation’s leaders in grid modernization for over three decades—from substation and distribution automation, smart meters and advance metering infrastructure, to smart grid and intelligent network and communications architecture planning, design and integration.

 

We have been deeply involved in supporting applications to the DOE SGIG program. We provided multiple clients a wide range of support services including application coordination, project definition and planning, budget analysis, outcomes estimation, and federal government liaison.

 

Applicants supported by KEMA were awarded funds totaling approximately $500 million, representing 13 percent of the total DOE SGIG budget. In supporting SGIG applications, KEMA has gained invaluable experience working with DOE, understanding program goals and processes, and crafting solutions that are beneficial to all participants and stakeholders.