May 30, 2014

County Moves to Boost Emergency Preparedness; Public/Private Partners Sought to Develop Energy Independent County Facilities

County Executive Ike Leggett and County Councilmember and Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee Chair Roger Berliner have announced that Montgomery County is moving forward on ensuring that key government operations are prepared for emergencies.

The Department of General Services (DGS) has advertised a Request for Energy Proposals (RFEP) for public/private partners to develop clean energy microgrids that will enable County facilities and campuses to operate during extended power outages.

Microgrids use technologies such as photovoltaic solar; small, efficient, gas turbines; batteries; advanced controls and heat recovery to efficiently produce energy on-site.

The County’s preference is for a partner that designs, builds, owns, operates and finances the microgrid. The RFEP invites private-sector companies to partner with the County and will allow DGS to identify the most qualified firms.

Based on the responses from this first RFEP, DGS will develop a more comprehensive second-stage RFEP and may ask the top companies to provide a cost proposal.

Proposals are due by June 30.

Learn more about the microgrid proposal.