Use Cases

Discover how various users can benefit from the Procurement Analysis Tool (PAT) in evaluating and optimizing energy procurement opportunities.

How PAT supports different user groups

Commercial & industrial (C&I) buyers

A commercial or industrial customer can use PAT to evaluate energy procurement opportunities for some or all of its facilities across the United States. The user can then identify the most cost-effective energy procurement options while considering geographic, technological, and other constraints.


Local governments and entities

Local governments can evaluate opportunities to procure utility-scale energy to meet the needs of the facilities that it operates to carry out city services, or explore pathways to procure electricity for part or all of the electricity consumption within their jurisdiction.


Colleges, universities, & campuses

Higher education institutions or similar large research organizations can use PAT to evaluate utility-scale energy procurement opportunities that meet their needs. This could include evaluating facilities where they conduct research or classes, as well as housing, operations, and other facilities.


Electric service providers and utilities

Electric service providers, utilities, and other load- serving entities can use PAT to assess potential interest in new utility-scale energy procurement programs, such as green tariffs. They can also evaluate the potential impacts of certain customers pursuing utility-scale renewable energy to meet portions of the load served by the provider.


Regulators and public utility commissions

State regulatory bodies, such as public utility commissions, can use the tool to evaluate or plan for potential interest in specific voluntary utility-scale energy procurement programs within their regulatory authority.

Key procurement challenges and PAT solutions

Procurement challengeHow PAT can help
Complexity in energy procurement

Businesses with facilities and operations in multiple regions face inherent difficulty related to differing facility loads and load- serving entities.

Customized procurement options

PAT provides relevant procurement options based on energy objectives and regional availability.

Evaluating competing priorities

Finding a procurement strategy that not only meets cost-effectiveness but also aligns with other targets is difficult.

Comparative analysis

PAT allows users to compare energy technologies based on install cost, potential grid/economic value, and other factors.

Varied energy consumption

Energy needs tend to vary greatly depending on the use case of each facility.

Granular facility analysis

PAT considers energy consumption data for all facilities, user-identified groups, and/or by facility.

Lack of expertise in energy procurement

Many institutions lack in-house expertise to assess and implement complex energy procurement.

Guided initial screening

PAT can help users start their energy procurement journey by requiring simple inputs from the user and actionable results to take next steps.

Evaluating energy technologies

Identifying the optimal energy technology and potential resource regions to meet a user’s energy needs requires specialized expertise.

Energy decision support

PAT helps users determine which energy source is best to meet their needs, along with locations for optimal production by technology.

Ready to power your organization with America’s abundant energy supply?

Take the next step toward meeting your energy goals with the Procurement Analysis Tool (PAT).

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Procurement Analysis Tool
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The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, operated under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.