DOE Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program and Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced the Innovative Queue Management Solutions (iQMS) for Clean Energy Interconnection and Energization program. This program will award $11.2 million to no more than 25 distribution utilities to pilot innovative solutions for managing renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) charging interconnection and energization queues.

Many distribution utilities lack the tools and capabilities to manage large interconnection queues for non-residential, mid-scale clean energy projects (100 kilowatt to 5 megawatt) and EV charging equipment seeking to connect to the grid, leading to delays and high costs. Due to federal tax incentives and state and local decarbonization goals, the demand to build these types of projects is expected to increase. Distribution utilities need to implement tools and procedures to efficiently process these applications to avoid interconnection queue backlogs and long delays in connecting new clean energy projects.

The iQMS program will fund pilot projects to demonstrate new interconnection queue management solutions on actual interconnection, service load request, and energization queues. These tests will help utilities and public utility commissions understand the real-world capabilities of new software and workflow automation solutions and accelerate their adoption to enable rapid deployment of more solar energy, wind energy, energy storage, EV charging infrastructure, and other clean energy assets to the grid. Participating utilities will document and share lessons learned and best practices from their pilot projects to help other utilities manage similar interconnection and energization requests.

The iQMS program provides funding in two tracks. Applicants may apply to either or both tracks. Each track will operate in two phases, with the best performing utilities from Phase 1 selected to progress to Phase 2. An accelerated option is available for utilities that achieve Phase 1 objectives early. Participants will also receive technical assistance.

Track 1: Generator Interconnection

This track will provide $9.2 million to utilities to pilot distribution-level queue management solutions for interconnection of mid-scale solar PV, wind, storage, small hydropower, and other clean energy projects.

• Phase 1 – Prepare (8 Months): Up to 20 utilities will each receive $200,000 to determine the feasibility and value proposition of implementing queue management optimization solutions, combined with plans to demonstrate these solutions under real-world conditions.
• Phase 2 – Demonstrate (16 Months): Up to 8 utilities from Phase 1 will each receive $650,000 to complete their proposed implementation plans and demonstrate how the solutions perform under real-world conditions.

Track 2: Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Load Requests

This track will provide $2 million to utilities to pilot distribution-level queue management solutions for EV supply equipment load requests and energization queues.

• Phase 1 – Prepare (8 Months): Up to 10 utilities will each receive $100,000 to test and validate value propositions of at least one new queue management optimization solution combined with plans to demonstrate such solutions under real-world conditions.
• Phase 2 – Demonstrate (16 Months): Up to 4 utilities from Phase 1 will each receive $250,000 to complete the proposed implementation plans and demonstrate how the new solution sets deliver expected results under real-world conditions.