Energy and Water Management Award to Robinson

November 15, 2017

Gerald Robinson recently received a 2017 Federal Energy and Water Management Award for his work as part of a federal team that developed an innovative, multi-agency contract solution that saved the government millions of dollars. In the picture, Robinson is  fourth from the right.

Gerald Robinson and Team

Robinson worked with several agencies to conduct the first-ever aggregated procurement for on-site solar PV arrays. By pooling their buying power, the agencies made it easier and cheaper for vendors to respond to their solicitation, which led to a lower overall project cost. ​The coordinated effort saved the government an estimated ​$13.8 million and created 93 U.S. jobs.

Out of the total number of sites in the contract, four achieved net zero; two sites incorporated battery storage; and four sites incorporated a new approach to EV chargers which were integrated with solar-shaded carports.

The effort inspired a parallel effort in Washington, D.C. called the Capitol Solar Challenge and a permanent, nationwide program called the Affordable Power Infrastructure Partnerships.

Robinson is a program manager in the Building & Industrial Applications Department, Building Technology & Urban Systems Division, in the Energy Technologies area at Berkeley Lab.

Author

Karyn Houston