Administrator for Energy Efficiency Loans and Grants

The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is one step closer to selecting an administrator for two unique Loan and Grant programs for New Hampshire businesses. Funding in the total amount of $3.5 million will be available for energy efficiency measures to buildings and/or processes and for renewable energy systems to be installed on or at business-owned buildings. Proposals to administer this program were due yesterday: Wednesday, September 30, 2009, by 4 p.m. A selection committee will be convened in proceeding weeks to select the administrator(s). Please feel free to contact Laura Richardson at (603) 271-6092 or laura.richardson@nh.gov for more information on OEP’s Loan and Grant Program.

Recovery Act Funding Opportunity for Local Governments to Enhance Energy Assurance Plans

A goal of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), in part, is to facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply, and enhance reliability and quicker repair of outages. This initiative will create jobs at the local level and allow cities and towns to have well-developed, standardized energy assurance and resiliency plans that they can rely on during energy emergencies and supply disruptions. City governments will address energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities in their plans to lessen the devastating impact that such incidents have on the economy and the health and safety of citizens. DOE anticipates disseminating awards with a ceiling of $300,000 and a floor of not less than $60,000 per award.

Details of the funding opportunity can be found online. A useful planning resource, Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines, is available at http://www.pti.org/docs-sust/LocalGovernmentEnergyAssuranceGuidelines.pdf.

EECBG RFP Information

The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) received its approval from the Department of Energy for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECBG) funding dated September 10, 2009. OEP is now seeking an administrator to assist in managing subgrants that will be issued as part of New Hampshire’s EECBG. Subgrants will be available to New Hampshire municipalities for projects and programs that increase energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and advance the development of renewable energy systems. The request for proposals is available at http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/index.htm.

Questions regarding the proposals may be sent to Kathleen.Vattes@nh.gov and will be available along with answers, anonymously, at the Web sites: http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/loan_grant_program.htm and http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/sep_programs/small_business_loan_program.htm. 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. The New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Proposals must be received by OEP prior to 4 p.m. on Friday, October 16, 2009.

Submit proposals to:
Dari Sassan, EECBG Coordinator
NH Office of Energy and Planning
4 Chenell Drive, Second Floor
Concord, NH 03301
dari.sassan@nh.gov
http://www.nh.gov/oep/recovery/index.htm

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Consultant

The New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s Business Resource Center (BRC) is requesting technical assistance from an energy consultant to carry out comprehensive energy audits for its business clients, to provide recommendations for energy conservation opportunities, to evaluate existing technologies, and to provide consultation and professional evaluations of renewable and alternative energy technologies and bio energy products. The consultant will be required to help the clients identify implementation opportunities for recommended improvements. For more information, please see OEP’s Web site.

Details on the proposal requirements are also available by contacting:

James Robb
Business Resource Specialist
NH Business Resource Center
172 Pembroke Road
PO Box 1856
Concord, NH   03302-1856
603-271-2591
jrobb@dred.state.nh.us

Questions regarding the proposals should be directed to Kathleen.Vattes@nh.gov and will be available along with answers, posted anonymously, at the NH Business Recourse Center Web site.

Kate Vattes
NH Office of Energy and Planning
4 Chenell Drive, 2nd Floor
Concord, NH 03301-8519
kathleen.vattes@nh.gov

Production Tax Credits for Renewable Energy

Created under Section 1603 of the Recovery Act, the Grants in lieu of Tax Credits for Renewable Energy program or Production Tax Credits provides cash assistance to energy producers in place of tax credits. The payments improve project viability, enabling companies to create and retain jobs, and establish sufficient financing bases for projects that may otherwise not be possible, dramatically expanding and accelerating the development of renewable energy projects throughout the country. Under this program, the federal government provides a cash payment in lieu of a tax credit totaling 30 percent of the qualifying cost of the project; for each federal dollar spent in payments, more than two dollars are spent in private sector investments. The 1603 program is having an immediate effect on the renewable energy industry by significantly increasing the availability and liquidity of project capital in three ways:

• Recycling grants into new projects. Project developers are able to begin construction of additional projects thanks to the extra capital from the grants they are receiving.
• Increasing the flow of capital. By reversing the drop in availability of equity investment available, the 1603 program brings significant private capital off the sidelines to finance more renewables projects.
• Attracting investment for domestic projects.  Large project developers allocate capital across many countries, and the 1603 program is attracting billions of dollars of additional capital toward projects in the US.

Said Secretary Chu: “These investments are crucial to ensuring America can compete and win in the race for the clean energy jobs of the future.  With American workers and American innovation, we can and must lead the world when it comes to the new Industrial Revolution in clean energy.”

For more information please see EERE points of contact by energy market (contact information is below):

•General Information:
EERE Information Center:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/informationcenter
1-877-EERE-INF / (1-877-337-3463)

•Biomass and Biorefinery Systems:
Shab Fardanesh, 202-586-7011
shabnam.fardanesh@ee.doe.gov

•Building Technologies:
Bryan Berringer, 202-586-0371
bryan.berringer@ee.doe.gov

•Facilities and Infrastructure:
Greg Collette, #303-275-4734
greg.collette@go.doe.gov

•Federal Energy Management Program:
Brad Gustafson, 202-586-5865
brad.gustafson@ee.doe.gov

•Geothermal Technology:
Lauren Boyd, 202-287-1854
lauren.boyd@ee.doe.gov

•Hydrogen Technology:
Sara Dillich, 202-586-7925
sara.dillich@ee.doe.gov

•Hydropower:
Alejandro Moreno, 202-586-8171
alejandro.moreno@ee.doe.gov

•Industrial Technologies:
Jim Quinn, 202-586-5725
james.quinn@ee.doe.gov

•Solar Energy:
Tom Kimbis, 202-586-7055
tom.kimbis@hq.doe.gov

•Vehicle Technologies:
William Key, 202-586-3157
william.key@ee.doe.gov

•Weatherization and Intergovernmental Activities:
–Ronald Shaw, 202-586-6593, ronald.shaw@hq.doe.gov (for Weatherization)
–Mark Bailey, 202-586-9424, mark.bailey@hq.doe.gov (Block Grants, State Energy Programs, and Appliance Rebates)

•Wind Energy:
Jim Ahlgrimm, 202-586-9806
jim.ahlgrimm@ee.doe.gov

RGGI & DRED Tuition discount for Building Analyst training

Building Energy Technologies, LLC is coordinating the Building Performance Institute (BPI) “Building Analyst” training courses with Lakes Region Community College this fall. They will offer six auditor training courses around the state. Students who satisfactorily complete the written and field exams will become BPI certified Build Analysts. Through RGGI grant funding with DRED, the full tuition of $1,100 can be discounted by $500 resulting in a BPI course cost of $600 (includes tuition, BPI written test, BPI field test and textbook. The cost for this course is well below the typical charge for comparable BPI courses). Please see: http://www.lrcc.edu/energy/auditor/index.html for more information.

All information provided by the New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning (OEP) is made available for the convenience of interested persons. While OEP makes every effort to provide information that is reliable, human or mechanical error remain a possibility. Therefore, OEP makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the information. Neither OEP nor any of the sources of the information shall be responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the use or result obtained from the use of this information.

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