Decarbonization Considerations: Onsite Distributed Energy Projects and Offsite Purchases  

Education Type: 
On-Demand
Duration: 
1.5 Hours
Level: 
Intermediate
FEMP IACET: 
0.2 CEU
Sponsored by: 

DOE Federal Energy Management Program - FEMP

In support of energy-related executive order goals and legislative mandates, the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) is helping agencies understand how to maximize decarbonization through onsite and offsite energy procurement. This training provides attendees with onsite and offsite procurement strategies such as performance contracting, power purchase agreements, and offsite electricity supply arrangements.

Instructors

Douglas Gagne, MBA, Project Analyst, NREL  

Doug Gagne is a project analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). He currently provides early-stage federal project development support for renewable energy and resilience projects, including techno-economic analyses to identify what mix of generation technologies will most cost-effectively meet a site's power needs. He also supports early-stage resilience project development and brings extensive federal procurement expertise.

Jenny Heeter, MPA, Senior Energy Analyst, National Renewable Energy Laboratory  

Jenny Heeter is a senior energy analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She researches equitable solar deployment, voluntary purchasing of renewable energy, and community solar deployment and cost. Heeter is currently serving on a detail assignment with the Department of Energy's Office of Economic Impact and Diversity to support implementation of President Biden's Justice40 Executive Order.

Chandra Shah, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, MBA, CEM, Senior Project Leader, NREL  

Chandra Shah is a senior project leader at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. She has been supporting FEMP since 1998--helping agencies purchase off-site renewable energy, implement distributed energy projects, and achieve energy/water goals through utility energy service contracts and other utility partnerships. She is a CEM and holds an MBA from the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan.

Tracy Niro, Project Manager, U.S. Department of Energy  

Tracy Niro is the Utility Program manager at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP). Tracy is a recognized expert in energy policy, federal utility service contracting, and utility energy service contracts. She also oversees electric and natural gas utility acquisitions for DOE sites nationwide and serves as the chair of the Federal Utility Partnership Working Group. Tracy was a 2009 Presidential Management Fellow, has completed detail assignments to the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the International Energy Agency, and was awarded a Fulbright Professional Scholarship to conduct energy research in Australia. Tracy began her career as a staff accountant for an investor-owned utility and has 17 years of experience in the energy industry including past experience leading the DOE FEMP Power Purchase Agreement Program and serving as coordinator for floating offshore wind regulation in Hawaii at the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Diego School of Law and is a licensed attorney in the State of California (inactive).

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, attendees will be able to:

  • Identify procurement pathways to procure onsite distributed energy resources;
  • Recognize options available related to offsite energy purchases;
  • Identify how the existing grid mix impacts optimal energy procurement across a regional portfolio of sites; and
  • Leverage available FEMP and other resources to help agencies meet decarbonization goals.
Federal Agencies and Facility Criteria: