Request for Energy Proposals
Microgrids on Facilities (see News Release)

Montgomery County Government is committed to creating a more vibrant, healthy, prosperous and sustainable community. The County’s 2009 Climate Protection Plan and 2010 Green Economy Plan both identify deployment of clean energy systems as a priority of the County’s climate and energy goals.

The County is specifically assessing the interest of third parties to install, own, operate and finance microgrids on buildings or properties owned or operated by the Montgomery County Department of General Services (DGS). DGS is custodian of County buildings and sites and is responsible for the ownership, operation, maintenance, management, utilities and leasing of County facilities. Collectively the County owns, operates, and/or maintains over 410 facilities and 9,000,000 square feet of floorspace.

A microgrid, for the purposes of this RFEP, is defined as a system of controls, generators (e.g., gas turbines, fuel cells), storage devices (e.g., batteries), and other technologies that enable a building to operate independently of the electric grid for prolonged periods of time. In most cases, where a microgrid is combined with a generation asset, the County anticipates byproduct to be used locally. Each microgrid is expected to serve only County buildings or campuses, however the County would consider expanding to include installations into neighboring areas if environmental, regulatory and financial issues can be resolved and a reasonable revenue share can be negotiated.

Please note that the County expects prospective Offerors to provide solutions that incorporate multiple distributed generation assets and/or extensive energy storage capacity to enable facilities to be self sufficient for extended periods of time. Offerors should not propose solutions that are ONLY solar power purchase agreements, as that work is being addressed by a separate RFEP.