Grid Interconnection

The Land Development Process

The Land development process includes Interconnection with the grid, Site Control, Title, Land Use Permits and other studies and reports.

Each step taken in the development process is there to “DeRisk” the project. It is a constant juggling act to get as much completed as possible with limited spending.

The roadmap built into the Dev/Hold software ?will walk you through the steps and keep your projects on track.

Here are a couple of articles I have written on the subject.

Top Ten Solar Developer Pitfalls to Avoid. (Article)

Efficiently Manage the Development Process (Article)

Grid Interconnection.

While each utility has its own way of doing things, the basic premise is the same. Learn the impact on the grid and understand the cost and process necessary to connect.?

This process is extremely important and the result should be understood as soon as possible. The cost of the study and the interconnection are extremely critical to the financial calculations and will determine whether or not the project will proceed.

The process usually includes the following and is supported by the Asset holder and the Utility:

1. Feasibility Study: A preliminary evaluation of the system impact and cost of interconnecting your facility to the transmission system.
2. System Impact Study: An engineering study that evaluates the impact of the proposed interconnection on the safety and reliability of the transmission system.
3. Transmission Study: Transmission planning studies help power system planners determine how they can best supply load with renewable energy.
4. Facilities Study: Determines the equipment and electrical switching configuration necessary to accomplish the interconnection and estimates the cost, construction, and installation times.
5. Utility Protection Study: Specs out the underground utilities and other dangers related to building on the site.

The companies in the engineering section and the consulting section can support you in the interconnection process.?

As we work with the new companies, we have been providing recommendations for resources on an ad hoc basis. We think the industry needs an all inclusive “living” resource guide organized around the process roadmap built into the Dev/Hold software.??

To make the roadmap happen, we pulled together a consortium of Community Solar service providers and wrote a complete Roadmap & Resource Guide for anyone looking for more information on the industry.

The Roadmap and Resource Guide is free and if you contact anyone on the list, they will be happy to advise in their areas of expertise.

The guide is over 40 pages long and is all inclusive.?

It covers all the topics from land acquisition, local regulations, land development process, legal, engineering, construction, financial modeling, structured finance, IRA compliance, tax equity financing, the develop & sell model, off takers and subscribers, battery storage, long term operations and maintenance and a great section on industry education and conferences.

If you combine the resources on the list with the process roadmap in the software, we will all work very hard to help you become successful.

The industry is expected to triple in the next five years…now is the time to get started!

Sincerely

Jeff Peterson

[email protected]

516.527.8390