Webinar Sponsors: EERE Tribal Energy Program, DOE Office of Indian Energy, Western Area Power Administration

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Indian Energy, Tribal Energy Program, and Western Area Power Administration will present the next Tribal Renewable Energy Series webinar, Project Implementation and Operations Maintenance, on Friday, Aug. 8, 2014, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mountain time. The webinar will focus on the last two steps of a five-step tribal energy project development framework: Project Implementation and Operations and Maintenance (OM).

Developed by the DOE Office of Indian Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Renewable Energy Project Development and Finance Framework is designed to help guide Tribes on the path toward successful renewable energy project development. The framework’s five steps are:

1. Understand project savings and production potential
2. Identify and narrow project options
3. Refine the plan
4. Implement the project
5. Develop an OM plan.

The webinar will stress the importance of developing a long-term OM plan, establishing a maintenance schedule, replacing worn or disabled equipment, establishing and enhancing an effective and motivated OM staff, evaluating warranty agreements and extensions, and budgeting for OM.

Guest speakers from NREL include Tom Harris, who will cover the various details of the project framework as it relates to OM; Robi Robichaud, who will discuss wind power OM; and Chris Gaul, who will discuss biomass resource refinement and maintenance.

“Regardless of technology, it’s important to identify a tribal champion early in a renewable energy project to help garner the tribal leadership and community support needed to carry the project forward from inception through construction, completion, and ongoing operation and maintenance,” said Gaul, an energy engineer at NREL.

The fourth guest speaker, David Nahai, is a Los Angeles attorney who advises and assists public and private entities on renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation, and wastewater treatment and recycling projects. Nahai  will cover contractual and other business and legal considerations involved in construction, interconnection, and OM.

There is no charge to attend the webinar, but advance registration is required.

This webinar was originally scheduled for July 30. If you already registered, you do not need to re-register. The same log-in information can be used for the Aug. 8 webinar.

See the full list of 2014 tribal renewable energy webinars.