American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: State Energy Programs - RFP
The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is soliciting proposals for administrators from qualified firms to administer two unique Loan and Grant Programs for NH commercial, industrial, and non-profit, large, small, and micro businesses. Administrator(s) will oversee American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Loans and Grants for energy efficiency measures to buildings and/or processes and for renewable energy systems to be installed on or at business-owned buildings. The chosen administrator(s) will develop a business plan that is responsive to market conditions; promotes the program(s) to businesses throughout the state; and distributes funds to qualified businesses. In addition, the administrator will oversee the programs’ progress and compliance with all requirements, collect and report on data about jobs created and retained, energy saved, emissions reduced, and other relevant information, as outlined in the Request for Proposals (RFP), available on the ARRA home page.
Questions regarding the proposals should be sent to Kate Vattes. All questions submitted to OEP regarding this RFP, along with the answers, will be responded to via a posting on the following Web sites:
Business and Commercial Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Loan/Grant Program and
Small Business Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Grant and Loan Program. Please, no telephone calls. An evaluation team consisting of OEP and other qualified personnel will evaluate responses to this RFP. A scoring sheet is available for guidance to bidders.
Proposals must be received by OEP prior to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30, 2009.
Laura Richardson
ARRA Coordinator for SEP
NH Office of Energy and Planning
4 Chenell Drive, 2nd floor
Concord, NH 03301
http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/index.htm
New Information Released About New Hampshire’s EECBG Technical Assistance Proposal
As previously reported, the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) has been designated to receive $9.6 million of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) funding that will be conferred in phased increments to support the implementation of strategies relating to:
- Reduction of fossil fuel emissions;
- Reduction of total energy use, and
- Improved energy efficiency in transportation, buildings and other areas.
In addition to a $6.6 million EECBG community sub-grant program (see EECBG Funding Distribution Proposal  ), OEP is proposing to sponsor a $2 million statewide energy inventory and planning service. Through an RFP process, one or more consultants will be selected to facilitate the administration of this technical assistance program. Please visit EECBG Technical Assistance Proposal for important details about this component of the State’s proposal. For more information about New Hampshire’s EECBG program, visit the EECBG Web site or contact Dari Sassan at (603) 271-1765.
Recovery Act Announcement Energy, Treasury Now Accepting Applications for Funding for Renewable Energy Projects
With the goal of expanding development of renewable energy projects throughout the United States and creating new jobs, the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced they are now accepting applications for a program that will make direct payments in lieu of tax credits to companies that create and place in service renewable energy facilities. The two Departments estimate distributing at least $3 billion in financial support to approximately 5,000 biomass, solar, wind, and other types of renewable energy production facilities. The funding for this effort is made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act authorized Treasury to make direct payments to companies that create and place in service renewable energy facilities beginning January 1, 2009. Previously, these companies could file for a tax credit to cover a portion of the renewable energy project's cost; under the new program, applicants would agree to forgo future tax credits in favor of an immediate reimbursement of a portion of the property expense. The Energy Department will assist Treasury in implementing this program by reviewing the technical merits of the applications.
In previous years, the tax credit has been widely used. The rate of new renewable energy installations has fallen since the economic downturn began, as projects had a more difficult time obtaining financing. The Departments of the Treasury and Energy expect a fast acceleration of businesses applying for the direct cash payment in lieu of the tax credit, allowing for an immediate stimulus in local economies.
Earlier this year, Energy and Treasury held a stakeholder outreach conference call to assist companies in applying for the program. They also made available in advance the program's terms and conditions, guidance, and a sample application so that companies could prepare applications in advance of the launch of the Web-based application, aimed at expediting the distribution of program funds to eligible businesses. Companies interested in applying for the program can visit the US Department of the Treasury application submission page for more information.
Recovery Act Announcement: Treasury, Energy Announce More than $2 Billion in Recovery Act Tax Credits for Energy Manufacturers
As part of an innovative partnership aimed at increasing economic development while setting our nation on the path to energy independence, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Energy today announced a program to award $2.3 billion in tax credits for manufacturers of advanced energy equipment. Authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act), this new program will provide tax credits to manufacturers who produce clean energy equipment.
"This program will help encourage innovation in design of clean energy technologies," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. "This partnership between Treasury and Energy adds an important new dimension to the incentives created in the Recovery Act to increase U.S. manufacturing output, improve energy efficiency, and develop alternative sources of energy."
The Recovery Act created a new tax credit program by authorizing Treasury to provide developers with an investment tax credit of 30% for facilities that manufacture particular types of energy equipment. Qualifying manufactures will produce solar, wind, and geothermal energy equipment; fuel cells, microturbines, and batteries; electric cars; electric grids to support the transmission of renewable energy; energy conservation technologies; and equipment that captures and sequesters carbon dioxide or reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
Said Energy Secretary Steven Chu: "These tax credits will help create thousands of high quality manufacturing jobs in some of the highest growth segments of the economy. This is an opportunity to develop our global leadership in clean energy manufacturing and build a secure, sustained base of jobs for America's workers."
The manufacturing tax credit is capped at $2.3 billion, and credits are available for two years or until the cap is reached. Companies can expect to receive payments within 180 days of filing for the credit. To view the program summary and guidance for applying for the tax credit, see the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit Web page.
The announcement of the manufacturing tax credit is the next step in an innovative partnership between Treasury and Energy aimed at promoting energy production and energy independence. Tax programs have provided successful incentives for encouraging the development of renewable energy in the past - in 2006 alone, approximately $550 million in renewable energy tax credits were provided to 450 businesses. In July, Treasury and Energy announced the availability of a payment in lieu of tax credits for facilities that produce renewable energy, a program that is expected to result in more than $3 billion of stimulus for energy development in rural and urban communities.
OEP Web site
Our Web site is updated frequently. In addition there is a tremendous amount of information on our Web site, including some new links to grant opportunities and more program-related details, so please check it often for updates!
OEP Energy Staff
Please review the list below of the OEP energy staff members. Should you have any questions or comments you may contact them directly.
- Wendy Gilman, Procurement and Contract Compliance Officer – please contact Wendy at (603) 271-0596.
- Eric Steltzer, Energy Policy Analyst – for questions on energy policy, please contact Eric at (603) 271-1759.
- Dari Sassan, Assistant Planner – will be working on EECBG funding and can be reached at (603) 271-1765.
- Mary Downes, Energy Efficiency Specialist – will manage SEP programs administered by stat agencies as well as first-time home buyer programs. Mary can be reached at (603) 271-1715.
- Laura Richardson, ARRA Coordinator SEP - will administer all remaining SEP programs. Laura can be reached at (603) 271-6092.
- Joe Broyles, Energy Program Manager – can help you with questions regarding data collection and reporting and he can be reached at (603) 271-8341.
- Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager - administers weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Andy at (603) 271-6359.
- Nancy Gamble, Weatherization Program Manager - will be working closely with Andy Gray, Weatherization Program Manager, and the state's six independent Community Action Agencies to administer ARRA weatherization services for the state of NH. For more information, please contact Nancy at (603) 271-0639.
- Kate Vattes, Administrative Assistant - is our ARRA AA and will be supporting the OEP energy team administratively and will help to ensure compliance and accountability. Kate can be reached at (603) 271-0598.
Please feel free to contact OEP with any questions. Thank you in advance for your interest. |
