REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC AGENCY
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC DEMONSTRATION PROJECT
For
ST CHARLES SOLAR FACILITY SITE
LEGACY BUSINESS CENTER
ST. CHARLES, ILLINOIS
May 1, 2015
I.
BACKGROUND AND PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA) is a not-for-profit unit of local government
comprised of 32 municipal electric systems and one electric cooperative from across Illinois. Each of those
communities owns and operates its own electric distribution system. Some operate local power generation
plants. Since its creation 30 years ago, the focus of the IMEA has been on the reliable delivery of bulk
power and energy to its Members at low and stable prices.
IMEA combines the power needs of all of its members and secures the electricity necessary to
satisfy those needs. The Agency sells its municipal Members and one co-op all their wholesale power needs
under long-term power supply contracts. To accomplish this goal, IMEA has assembled a portfolio of power
supply ownership and contracts. These include the ownership of a portion of large power plants in Kentucky
and Illinois, a long-term power supply contract with a major power marketing company, additional smaller
power contracts with other power suppliers, a long-term purchase of wind energy from a national supplier,
and purchases from the market when that is an economical option. IMEA also uses the power plants owned
and operated by our Members to meet the memberships’ needs from time to time. IMEA backs its
commitment to power supply excellence with a 24-hour-a-day, seven day-a-week Operations Center. In
addition, IMEA provides engineering, communications, economic development, energy efficiency,
legislative and regulatory oversight services for its members. The Agency is governed by a board of
directors appointed by its Members. A professional staff administers day-to-day operations.
As a part of a strategic initiative, IMEA is planning to diversify its generation portfolio by acquiring
a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a solar photovoltaic demonstration project with a rated output up to
500 kW (PV Project). This will be a “behind the meter” generation facility located at a Member municipality
with facility output offsetting the Member’s distribution load. The proposed solar generation facility will
only be interconnected to the Member’s distribution system, and will not necessitate the study/approval
process typically required for an interconnection to a state or regional transmission system. IMEA is
requesting proposals from qualified bidders to design, finance, construct, own, operate and maintain the PV
Project with all energy output produced by the facility delivered to IMEA for a defined $/MWhr rate. IMEA
will own all Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) produced by the PV Project.
IMEA’s Executive Board will select the successful bidder for the project, subject to staff review and
approval by the IMEA Board of Directors. IMEA reserves the right to reject any or all proposals or alter the
project schedule.
II.
PROJECT SCHEDULE
May 1st, 2015
IMEA St. Charles Solar RFP Issued
May 11th, 2015
IMEA St. Charles Site Visit with Prospective
Bidders
May 20th, 2015
Last Day to Contact IMEA with Project
Related Questions
May 21st, 2015
Last Day to Submit “Intent to Respond to St.
Charles Solar RFP” to IMEA
June 10th, 2015
Solar Proposals due at IMEA Office
June 11th, 2015
Bid Opening
June, 24th, 2015
Staff Initial Recommendation to IMEA
Executive Board on Successful Bidder
3rd Quarter 2015
Finalize the Proposal, Execute PPA with
Successful Bidder and Issue Notice to Proceed
Fall 2015
Commence Construction
1st Quarter 2016
Solar Project Commercial Operation
III.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
IMEA is requesting proposals from qualified bidders for the design, financing, procurement,
installation, construction, commissioning, ownership, operation and maintenance of a fixed axis solar
photovoltaic system (PV Project) on a site of approximately 2.3 acres owned by and located within the City
of St. Charles, IL. Proposals shall be in the form of a 20 year power purchase agreement (PPA) with IMEA.
The desired rating of the proposed PV Project is 500KW AC output at the high side terminals of
the facility’s step up transformer, as based on the PV panel PTC rating. Lesser output capability will be
considered if limited by site conditions. Any such alternatives must be communicated to IMEA along with
the “Intent to Respond to St. Charles Solar RFP.” IMEA staff may request additional information at their
sole discretion to better understand and evaluate those alternatives.
The solar PV panels are to be mounted on south-facing, fixed tilt structures set at an angle for best
year round performance for this latitude. Vertical support elements for the PV panel racks are to be designed
to meet wind/snow loadings and soil conditions identified for the site. Direct driven supports using a
hydraulic ram are preferred to poured concrete foundations or weighted blocks.
The bidder shall provide annual ownership options to IMEA beginning as early as the sixth year
following commencement of commercial operation. If no purchase option is selected by IMEA, ownership
of the PV Project is transferred to IMEA at the conclusion of the 20 year PPA.
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The proposed PV Project site property will be controlled by IMEA through a long term lease, or
comparable siting agreement, with the City of St. Charles that will allow IMEA and its designated PPA
Provider full rights of access to the site for the purpose of construction, operation and maintenance of the
PV Project. IMEA will grant rights to the successful bidder (PPA Provider) for all necessary and customary
access to and use of the site for the PV Project. No site leasing fees between the City and IMEA will be
passed through to the PPA Provider. The PV Project site is part of a larger tract of approximately 4.6 acres
(described as Lot 15 of Legacy Business Center of St. Charles) that was originally purchased in 2006 by
the City for the purpose of constructing an electric substation. The north half of Lot 15 is reserved for the
future substation construction, and will require shared use of the entry drive. See the non-aerial GIS map of
the site attached as Exhibit A. An aerial photo/property tax map of the site is attached as Exhibit D.
IMEA will provide support for evaluation of the interconnection requirements with the City of St.
Charles’ distribution system as described below in Section V.
IMEA and the City of St. Charles will assist the PPA Provider in obtaining a municipal building
permit for the PV Project site which is currently zoned for commercial use. Nevertheless, all required
permits for construction and/or operation of the PV Project are ultimately the responsibility of the PPA
Provider.
The PPA Provider will assume responsibility for the cost of auxiliary power and all other
maintenance and operational costs during construction and as long as the PV Project is under the ownership
of the PPA Provider.
The PPA Provider is responsible for the site clearing, grading, conforming to local drainage
requirements, placement of 6 inch minimum of crushed limestone on entire site, and construction of a 7
foot utility grade security fence around the perimeter of the PV Project site with a lockable gate for service
vehicle access. The PPA Provider is responsible for maintaining weed and erosion control and the general
appearance of the PV Project site consistent with IMEA efforts to showcase this facility as a community
renewable energy resource and part of the City’s “green infrastructure” initiative.
IMEA will retain the Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) generated from the PV Project and, in lieu
of these, will not accept RECs from energy generated at any other PPA Provider-owned or purchased
generation facilities.
IMEA will consider proposals for alternate solar technologies (e.g. PV combined with battery
storage). Any such alternatives must be clearly indicated along with the “Intent to Respond to St. Charles
Solar RFP.” This will allow IMEA enough time to communicate with the bidder to evaluate the alternatives
fully.
All bid proposals shall conform to the requirements of this RFP.
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IV.
SITE DESCRIPTION
The PV Project will be constructed on IMEA leased land covering approximately 2.3 acres.
The site is located on the south half of Lot 15 of Legacy Business Center of St. Charles, 850 Equity Drive,
St. Charles, IL. Site coordinates are as follows:

Latitude, Longitude: 41o 54’ 23.30”N, 88o 16’ 25.30”W
The center of the site is relatively level and clear of brush and trees. Earthen berms are located
on the south and west perimeters of the site. The berms are topped by a few small trees that may be removed
to minimize shading of the proposed facility. An embankment on the east perimeter drops off to a drainage
ditch and an adjacent parking lot/sports field. The future substation area to the north is level and at the
same grade as the proposed PV Project site. See the topographic drawing of the site attached as Exhibit C
and site photos attached as Exhibit B. A geotechnical analysis of subsurface conditions for the site
was performed in June 2014 and is attached with this RFP as Exhibit F.
Prospective bidders are encouraged to visit the PV Project site in St Charles on May 11th, 2015 at
10:00AM local time. Utility personnel from the City of St. Charles will be on hand.
V.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS AND INTERCONNECTION
The PPA Provider will design the PV Project to meet all applicable local, state and national electric
and fire codes as well as all interconnection requirements of the City of St. Charles Electric Department.
The electricity from the PV Project will be delivered to the City of St. Charles distribution system as
three-phase AC power at 12.47 kVL-L The IMEA/St. Charles Point of Delivery will be defined as the high
side terminals of the facility’s step up transformer. The City will provide connection (via underground conduit)
from the high side step up transformer terminals to the City’s 12.47 kV pad-mount primary metering/switching
cabinet located at the site. The cabinet incorporates 2 line side switches and a metered terminal
(accommodating the connection with the PV Project) that is fused. The fuse size will be coordinated with the
protection system for the step up transformer. The PV Project will interconnect with the City’s underground
distribution Circuit # 535 that is normally fed from the City’s Dukane Drive Substation, Transformer 5T3.
Minimum load on Circuit # 535 during solar production hours is about 750 kW and typically in excess of 1
mW. See the City distribution system connection diagram attached as Exhibit E.
IMEA and the City will be responsible for the installation of all Point of Delivery metering and
associated SCADA and communications equipment for the site, and will be used for the project revenue
calculations. The metering will have bi-directional kWhr/kVArhr capability to monitor output and usage by
the PV Project.
The pad mounted step up transformer for the PV Project (provided and installed by the PPA Provider)
will be connected grounded wye on the low side and delta on the 12.47 kV side. The transformer shall be a
utility grade oil insulated transformer with standard options and protective features, meeting RUS standards,
and having a dead front ANSI type II bushing layout on the HV compartment.
The inverter shall have adjustable +0.95 leading or lagging power factor control, low voltage ride
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through capability, and meet or exceed IEEE 519-1992 total harmonic distortion requirements (THD<3%).
The inverter will be equipped with bi-directional DNP3 communications capability and a Windows-based
graphical user interface to allow IMEA and/or the City to control set points for low voltage ride through,
specify operating VAR, limit ramp rates, and monitor input/output parameters including status of panel subarrays. The unit protective features shall include, DC reverse polarity protection, ground fault monitoring,
AC short circuit protection and carry all applicable UL ratings. The inverter CEC efficiency shall be a
minimum of 97%.
VI.
BID SUBMITTAL AND EVALUATION
IMEA will receive bid proposals, at 3400 Conifer Drive, Springfield, IL 62711 until 5:00 p.m.,
CDT on, June 10th, 2015. Alternatively, bid proposals may be sent electronically to Kevin Wagner, IMEA
VP Engineering (kwagner@imea.org).
Bid proposals will be considered only from those bidders that have submitted their “Intent to
Respond to St Charles Solar RFP” (See Section VIII) electronically to either Rakesh Kothakapu, Manager,
Energy Markets & Settlements (rkothakapu@imea.org) or to Rodd Whelpley, Program & Communications
Administrator (rwhelpley@imea.org). Submission of the “Intent to Respond to St. Charles Solar RFP” must
occur by the deadline as set forth in Section II (PROJECT SCHEDULE) of this RFP.
All Bidders are strongly encouraged to submit questions relating to the project as early as possible,
but no later than 5:00 p.m., CDT on May 20th, 2015. Questions are to be sent electronically to either Rakesh
Kothakapu, Manager, Energy Markets & Settlements (rkothakapu@imea.org) or to Rodd Whelpley,
Program & Communications Administrator (rwhelpley@imea.org). Responses to all questions received
will be sent electronically to all bidders that have submitted “Intent to Respond to St Charles Solar RFP.”
Bid proposals must agree to comply with all relevant provisions of Illinois Law related to
performance of work under contract and to pay PV Project workers no less than the locally adopted prevailing
wage rates, health and welfare and pension fund contributions. Refer to Illinois Compiled Statutes (820
ILCS 130/--)
The bid proposal shall be conditioned upon compliance with all provisions of the b id documents.
No bid may be altered or resubmitted within one hundred twenty (120) days after the due date for
bid proposals.
IMEA will publicly open the bid proposals at its office at 3400 Conifer Drive, Springfield, IL
at 10:00 am CDT on June 11, 2015.
IMEA will evaluate the bid proposals and reserves the right to accept the bid proposal that, in its
judgment, is the most responsive and provides the best value and at least risk to IMEA. IMEA reserves
the right to reject any and all bid proposals, and to accept or reject any irregularities and informalities
in any bid proposal that is submitted. Bids received after the specified bid proposal due date will be
rejected.
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The Response to the RFP should contain at a minimum, but not be limited to, the following:
a. Terms and conditions of a proposed 20 year power purchase agreement (PPA) between the bidder
and IMEA including $/MWhr rate for all energy delivered to the IMEA/St. Charles Point of
Delivery for the life of the PPA with annual PV Project purchase options for IMEA beginning
after the 6th year of Commercial Operation. The PPA language should reflect bidder’s
compliance with all requirements set forth in this RFP and/or address any exceptions taken.
b. Timeline describing the bidder’s proposed PV Project design/construction schedule from IMEA
issuance of Notice to Proceed to Commercial Operation of the Project.
c. Basic equipment layout for the site, preliminary engineering design and commissioning plan for
the PV Project; including single line diagram for both the PV system, and the interconnect
system.
d. List of the major components to be used in construction of the PV Project and equipment cut
sheets/specifications from proposed manufacturers, including warranty and performance
guarantees anticipated for the PV panels and inverter.
e. Expected plant performance based on the proposed design, including; computer simulation of
the plants energy production, guaranteed performance ratio, and production profile.
f. List of technical and construction personnel and/or subcontractors anticipated to be directly
involved in the PV Project design and construction and their work history in similar projects.
g. Preliminary maintenance and operating plan for the PV Project following Commercial
Operation, including safety procedures/practices to be observed during all phases of the PV
Project.
h. Liability and general insurance carried by the bidder and its proposed subcontractors both during
construction and after the construction when operating under the 20 year PPA with IMEA. (Note:
All bidders should recognize that this project must conform with all relevant provisions of Illinois
Law related to performance of work under contract and payment of locally adopted prevailing
wage rates, health and welfare and pension fund contributions for PV Project workers.)
i. Bidder experience in the financing, construction and operation of similar projects (e.g. business
references related to previous solar projects, verifiable information demonstrating that the bidder
is in sound financial condition and has the ability to secure the necessary financing to meet its
obligations under its proposal now and in future). If bidder is a privately held company, IMEA
may require disclosure of financials under a confidentiality agreement.
Bidders shall guarantee their prices for at least 120 days. Proposals will be judged based on their
ability to meet IMEA's request for economical and reliable renewable energy in the necessary timeframe.
Respondents to this RFP should provide all relevant information necessary to allow IMEA to conduct a
thorough analysis of the proposal. The principal criteria to be used by IMEA in evaluating proposals include,
but are not necessarily limited to, total delivered cost of the renewable energy over the contract term, the design
and reliability of the project, experience and the financial strength of the respondent. IMEA reserves the right
to consider any other factors that it deems to be relevant to its needs. IMEA also reserves the right to request
additional information from individual respondents or to request all respondents to submit supplemental
materials in fulfillment of the content requirements of this RFP. Furthermore, IMEA, in its sole discretion,
will analyze any financial, operational, or other necessary criteria to determine its comfort and confidence that
the respondent has the capability to fulfill its proposal. Finally, IMEA reserves the right to withdraw this
solicitation at any time and/or to reject all offers received.
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As indicated in Section II (PROJECT SCHEDULE), IMEA anticipates completion of the bid
evaluation and approval process during the 3rd Quarter of 2015 with execution of the PPA with the successful
bidder and issuance of notice to proceed with construction occurring by September 30, 2015.
For additional information, please contact Kevin Wagner, VP Engineering (kwagner@imea.org)
Rakesh Kothakapu, Manager, Energy Markets & Settlements (rkothakapu@imea.org) or Rodd Whelpley,
Program & Communications Administrator (rwhelpley@imea.org).
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VII.
PROJECT TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The PPA in response to this RFP will include details on the advertising and promotions requirements
for the project; this language will give IMEA and/or City of St. Charles the right to display signs and
promotional materials on-site and/or off-site. A provision must also be included giving IMEA and/or the City
of St. Charles the unrestricted access of the facility for daily activities or to conduct tours at the site and
implement ongoing educational or marketing programs at the site.
The bidder shall not use IMEA’s name as a reference. The usage of IMEA’s and/or the City of St.
Charles’s logos or any other such intellectual property is prohibited.
A confidentiality agreement will be required to be executed between the bidder and IMEA prior to any
PPA agreement being executed.
The PPA agreement shall include language detailing the safe and reliable operation of the system, and
the supplier of the PPA resulting from this RFP will have the sole responsibility for any lost revenue associated
with such curtailment or loss of utility.
To qualify as an eligible bidder, the entity must have been in the solar photovoltaic development
business for a minimum of two (2) years (as of the proposed due date) and have a book value of at least $10
million. The system design entity must also have a demonstrated experience with a minimum ten (10) years,
and a list of successful projects submitted.
The PPA provider shall include IMEA as a system design stakeholder; a design and equipment
selection submittal shall be made to IMEA. IMEA will then review this submittal, and provide comments or
raise questions. The PPA provider will then incorporate these comments into the design when practical. The
PPA provider shall also provide a courtesy copy of the final design documents, and equipment selections, and
submittals. If significant issues are raised between the project design and IMEA’s comments, a negotiation
shall be conducted to ensure both parties are satisfactorily addressed.
The PPA agreement shall include language covering the actions surrounding a major equipment failure
or loss of production event which is determined not repairable, and the details surrounding removal of
equipment and returning the land back to original owner. The minimum output levels and financial investment
guidelines for repairs shall be clearly documented.
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VIII.
STATEMENT OF NO BID
Please complete this form and return with your NO BID response to Rakesh Kothakapu, Manager, Energy
Markets & Settlements (rkothakapu@imea.org) or Rodd Whelpley, Program & Communications
Administrator (rwhelpley@imea.org) or fax 217-789-4640 by May 21, 2015.
Company Name: ___________________________
Please explain the reason why the bidder is not interested:
Further remarks/comments:
Representative’s Name:
Title: ________________________
Date: ________________________
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IX. INTENT TO RESPOND TO IMEA’S ST. CHARLES SOLAR RFP
Please complete this form and return with your reply to Rakesh Kothakapu, Manager, Energy Markets &
Settlements (rkothakapu@imea.org) or Rodd Whelpley, Program & Communications Administrator
(rwhelpley@imea.org) or fax 217-789-4640 by May 21, 2015.
Company Name: ___________________________
Please explain any alternative offers the bidder is interested in:
Please provide an official email address and Contact information to communicate important updates related
to RFP:
Representative’s Name:
Title:
Date:
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X.
ILLINOIS MUNICIPAL ELECTRIC AGENCY SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC
DEMONSTRATION PROJECT EXHIBITS FOR ST. CHARLES SOLAR
FACILITY
1) Exhibit A: GIS Map of substation site
a. GIS – non aerial
2) Exhibit B: Site Photos
3) Exhibit C: Topographic Drawing of Site
4) Exhibit D: Tax map
5) Exhibit E: One line connection diagram
6) Exhibit F: Soils Report
a. Drilling, field, and laboratory test procedures
b. Site Preparation – Cleaning & Grubbing
c. Fill recommendations
d. Foundation construction recommendation
e. Slab-on-Grade considerations
f. Report limitations
g. Soil classification general notes
h. Soil classification chart
i. Site vicinity map and boring location plan
j. Boring logs
k. Laboratory reports
Please contact IMEA for an electronic copy of Exhibits.
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