Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia
Website: my.solarroadmap.com/ahj/smp-icv/view and
https://commons.marymount.edu/cicvsola/
Highlights
- Reduced operating costs and demonstrated the economic and environmental benefits of solar deployment through the installation of solar PV on private colleges in Virginia.
- Developed a collaborative and replicable approach to procuring solar for 15 partnering colleges.
- Set out to deploy at least 30 MW of solar energy within five years, offsetting about 25% of the electricity consumed on participating campuses and more than doubling the current installed solar capacity for the entire Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Advanced solar readiness in adjacent communities by conducting community-level solar policy and program benchmarking and reducing the soft costs associated with solar deployment.
Background
The Commonwealth of Virginia trails far behind its neighbors in the Mid-Atlantic in solar energy adoption. At the outset of this project, there were only 6 MW of installed solar across the entire state. Solar is a tough case in Virginia, where challenges posed by a lack of incentive structures and an inability to utilize third-party ownership models are compounded by the state’s voluntary renewable portfolio standard, below average electricity prices, and high installation costs.
The Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia (CICV) set out to expand solar in Virginia by working with 15 member colleges to develop and deploy 30 MW of solar on campuses across the commonwealth. These schools collectively serve approximately 30,000 students, cover 3,500 acres and consume more than 125 million kWh annually of purchased energy generated predominantly from coal. Through this project, CICV developed collaborative and replicable multi-year Solar Master Plans and feasibility assessments for each campus. These plans determine specific opportunities for solar deployment and establish a joint solar procurement program, which leverages the collective purchasing power of the campuses to reduce costs associated with going out to bid for solar and result in the deployment of at least 30 MW of solar PV within five years. CICV will also utilize the existing expertise of campus faculty and staff as another means to drive down the cost of solar deployment.
Creating a Masterplan for Each Campus
Solar Master Plan Sample Solar Master Plan Sample
This sample plan is a template other colleges and universities can utilize in their planning process for assessing solar potential and a collaborative procurement approach.
Group Purchasing Power
CICV developed a collaborative and replicable approach that simplifies, expedites, and lowers the cost of the process of preparing for and purchasing solar PV installations by reducing soft costs and building scale. Utilizing the feasibility assessments and Solar Master Plan for each campus, CICV developed and released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Solar Photovoltaic Projects on behalf of the 15 colleges and universities, the first RFP of its kind in Virginia. Campuses were split into bundles to reduce soft costs such as acquisition and administration. The participating colleges benefited from the reduced transaction costs, minimized administrative burden, and decreased risk and complexity allowed by this collaborative model.
The process of successfully launching a collaborative RFP required three key roles:
- Convener (CICV): brought potential partners together and issued the RFP on behalf of participants
- Participant (colleges): played a support role in the data gathering and vendor selection processes
- Technical advisor (Optony): developed the procurement strategy and documented and ensured due diligence in the proposal evaluation.
A second round of RFPs will be released in 2017 to deploy solar on additional feasible sites owned by the participating colleges. CICV compiled lessons learned from their first collaborative procurement to guide future procurements. Ultimately, the project team will develop a collective procurement guidebook primed for replication.
Resources
Lessons Learned from CICV’s First Collaborative Procur... Lessons Learned from CICV’s First Collaborative Procurement
This memo highlights lessons learned from our first round of procurement and includes advice for team structure, design of the RFP documents, and how to properly evaluate the responses.
CICV Collaborative Procurement ... CICV Collaborative Procurement RFP
This webinar discusses CICV’s collaborative procurement RFP process, lessons learned, and next steps.
Sample RFP for On-Campus Collaborative Procurement Sample RFP for On-Campus Collaborative Procurement
This sample collaborative procurement RFP was grouped into three bundles of sites for on-campus solar to provide a more accessible and relevant process to bidders.
Student and Faculty Engagement
CICV Learning Module- Analyzing Utility Regulatory Filings CICV Learning Module- Analyzing Utility Regulatory Filings
This learning module guides students in analyzing the potential impact of utility regulatory filings on solar PV systems.
Spurring Solar Market Development in Surrounding Communities
The reach of this project extends beyond any one campus by helping to address the local solar market conditions, including permitting, zoning, interconnection, and financing. In the project’s final year, the project team will proactively engage a diverse group of stakeholders, including faculty and staff from participating colleges, local governments, state regulators, and electric utilities, and identify opportunities to advance solar readiness in local communities.