$ 156M stimulus funds open; Massachusetts seeks projects

Seeking a share of the $156 million of stimulus funds open for applications, Massachusetts’ Department of Energy Resources (DOER) announced its solicitation of proposals for projects last Friday (June 19). Public and private sectors are enjoined to submit their clean power and energy-efficient project proposals that could be eligible for the said American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding.

Up to 72 projects can be supported by the fund nationwide, with ARRA funding “up to 50% of projects selected.” Eligible projects must be “shovel ready” within 120 days of receiving the grant.

DOER enumerated the following as eligible projects:

• Combined heat and power (CHP), a technology that simultaneously generates electricity and useful thermal energy – significantly improving the efficiency of fuel use for both heat and power;

• District energy systems, which produce steam, hot water, or chilled water at a central plant and then pipe that energy out to multiple buildings in a “district” for space heating, domestic hot water heating and/or air conditioning – eliminating the need for boilers, furnaces, chillers, or air conditioners in individual buildings;

• Waste energy recovery, which collects and reuses energy from sources such as exhaust heat or flared gas from industrial processes, or waste gas that would otherwise be flared, incinerated, or vented;

• Efficient industrial equipment – defined as any proven, commercially available technology that improves industrial efficiency by at least 25%.

All proposals will be compiled by DOER to represent all Massachusetts applicants. The comprehensive application will thereafter be submitted to the US Department of Energy (DOE) by July 14. Cities, towns, private, and state agencies, and other organizations may respond to DOER’s Program Opportunity Notice until June 30.

CHP is included, based on a new Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS) established by the Green Communities Act, 2008. APS requires utilities and suppliers to purchase power from APS-eligible sources at a rate of 0.75% of sales this year, which will increase to 5% by 2020.


-  Jen Balboa

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Source:

¹ http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eoeeapressrelease&L=1&L0=Home&sid=Eoeea&b...