GENERAL
INFORMATION
SECTION 1
1.1
PURPOSE
The Illinois Department of Commerce
and Community Affairs (the Department) administers the Renewable Energy
Resources Program (RERP) in order to foster investment in and the development
and use of renewable energy resources within the state of Illinois. The RERP will, to the extent funds are
available, fund projects focused on increasing the utilization of alternative
energy technologies in Illinois.
The focus of the RERP will include wind, solar thermal energy,
photovoltaic cells and panels, dedicated crops grown for energy production,
organic waste biomass and hydropower that does not involve new construction or
significant expansion of hydropower dams.
This program will not fund projects outside the state of Illinois, or
energy projects involving the incineration, burning or heating of waste wood,
tires, garbage, general household, institutional and commercial waste,
industrial lunchroom or office waste, landscape waste, or
construction/demolition debris. In
addition, if a municipal electric utility or electric cooperative does not
assess the Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund charge as established in
Article 6 Section 6-4 of the Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Coal
Resources Development Law of 1997, its customers shall not be eligible for RERP
funding.
1.2 AUTHORITY
AND FUNDING
The Department is authorized by
Public Act 90-561, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Coal Resources
Development Law of 1997, Article 6 Section 6-1 through 6-5, to administer the
state’s Renewable Energy Resources Program. The funding source for this program will
be the Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund.
1.3
DEFINITIONS
The terms used in this document
shall have the meanings set forth below.
Words and terms not defined here, if defined in the Environmental
Protection Act [415 ILCS 5], shall have the meanings as defined therein.
"Act" means the Public Utilities
Act.
"Applicant" means an Illinois unit
of state or local government, association, public or private school, college or
university, not-for-profit organization, private company or
individual(s).
"Application" means a request for
program funds including the required information, forms and attachments as
prescribed by the Department.
"Biogas" means a mixture of methane
and carbon dioxide produced through bacterial action.
"Dedicated Crop" means
non-consumable crops grown specifically for energy
production.
"Department" means the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.
"Grantee" means the unit of state or
local government, association, public or private school, college or university,
not-for-profit organization, private company or individual(s) that has been
awarded a grant.
"Hydropower" means generating
electricity by conversion of the energy of running water.
"Organic Waste Biomass" means animal
manure, municipal solid waste, waste water sludge, or crop
residue.
"Organic Waste Biomass System" means
any device designed to use biogas as a source of fuel to produce
electricity.
"Performance Period" means the
length of time the grantee is required to submit information/data to the
Department after the Project Commencement Date.
"Photovoltaic Cells and Panels"
means semiconductor materials that convert sunlight directly to
electricity.
"Project Commencement Date" means
the date that all necessary procurement is complete, equipment is installed and
operational and all project tasks have commenced. The Project Commencement Date shall not
exceed six months after a grant award notice has been issued to the recipient by
the Department.
"Project Start Date" means the date
that the Notice of Grant Award is signed by both the grantee and the
Department.
"Proprietary, Privileged or
Confidential Commercial Information" means any process or design exclusively
owned under trademark, patent or in the process of becoming patented. Or, that has been negotiated to be
Proprietary, Privileged or Confidential Commercial Information between the
grantee and the Department.
"Solar Thermal Energy" means rooftop
or ground-mounted panels to collect and transfer heat for space and water
heating.
"Wind" means the natural and
perceptible movement of air parallel to or along the
ground.
GRANT
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
SECTION 2
To apply for a grant, a potential
grantee must be within the service area of an investor-owned electric or gas
utility or a municipal gas or electric utility or electric cooperative that
imposes the Renewable Energy Resources and Coal Technology Development
Assistance Charge as defined in Public Act 90-561.
Eligible applicants shall
include: units of state and local
government, associations, public and private schools, colleges and universities,
not-for-profit organizations, private companies, and individuals located or
doing business within the state of Illinois.
2.1
ELIGIBILITY
Owners of renewable energy systems
may apply for a renewable energy grant under this part by meeting the
requirements of either Subpart (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of this
section and submitting the information required by Section 2.4. Only one grant per proposed renewable
energy system project will be awarded to a grantee.
A. Any wind power system purchased
and/or constructed after January 1, 1998, that is rated in accordance with the
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) criteria and is designed to produce in
excess of 10 kilowatts of electricity.
B. Any photovoltaic power system
purchased and/or constructed after January 1, 1998, that is Underwriters
Laboratories (UL) listed or has successfully completed at least one year of
field testing and has a rated design capacity in excess of 2 kilowatts of
electricity.
C. Any solar thermal water heating system
purchased and/or constructed after January 1, 1998, that has been approved by
the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable
organization and is designed to produce in excess of 16 kilowatts or equivalent
or contains at least 400 square feet of collectors.
D. Any solar thermal space heating system
purchased and/or constructed after January 1, 1998, that has been approved by
the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) or a comparable
organization and is designed to produce in excess of 32 kilowatts or equivalent
or contains at least 800 square feet of collectors.
E. Any energy system purchased and/or
constructed after January 1, 1998, that has successfully completed at least one
year of field testing. The system
must be specifically designed to use dedicated energy crops to produce
electricity.
F. Any organic waste biomass system
purchased and/or constructed after January 1, 1998, that has successfully
completed at least one year of field testing. The system must be designed to produce
and/or use biogas as a source of fuel to produce electricity. System and size design will be evaluated
by the Department on a case by case basis.
G. Any hydropower system that will not
involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams. Proposals will be evaluated by the
Department on a case by case basis.
The total amount of all renewable
energy grants issued in the Renewable Energy Resource Program for a given
calendar year will be limited to the funds available in the Renewable Energy
Resource Trust Fund for that calendar year. The amount of a renewable energy grant
shall not exceed the amount in Section 2.3.
2.2 RENEWABLE
ENERGY GRANT APPLICATIONS
To apply for a renewable energy
grant, developers of a renewable energy system should call or write to the
address listed in this section, and request a renewable energy grant
application. Renewable energy
grants will be awarded according to the schedule in Subpart (A) and (B) of this section. Applications shall be written or typed
on the Department's current approved forms (refer to Appendix
A).
A. The Department shall supply
interested entities with a renewable energy grant application package upon
request.
1. Grant applications under this
program will be accepted on an ongoing basis with grants awarded July 1 through
June 30 of each state fiscal year.
2. Grant applications received after
May 1 will be considered for funding and, if approved, awarded the next fiscal
year, provided funds are available.
3. The grant application must be
signed by a duly authorized representative of the entity and shall be submitted
as one signed original and three signed
copies.
B. Grant applications will be accepted
at the following address:
Illinois Department of Commerce and Community
Affairs
Bureau of Energy and Recycling
Alternative Energy Development Section RERP
325 West Adams, Room 300
Springfield, IL 62704-1892
217/557-1925
TDD 217/785-0211
2.3 FUNDING
CATEGORIES AND LIMITATIONS
The Department may provide up to,
but not more than, the following for a single project.
Wind
60
percent with a maximum grant of $
300,000
Solar Thermal Energy
50
percent with a maximum grant of $
150,000
Photovoltaic Cells and Panels 60 percent with a
maximum grant of $
300,000
Dedicated Crops Grown
for
Energy Production
50 percent with a
maximum grant of $
150,000
Organic Waste Biomass
50
percent with a maximum grant of $
550,000
Hydropower
50
percent with a maximum grant of $1,000,000
2.4 RENEWABLE
ENERGY GRANT APPLICATION DOCUMENTATION
All applicants shall include
documentation of the following:
A. History - a brief history of the
applicant, including its legal organization.
B. Narrative Description of the
Project - a summary description of the project and the technology
employed.
C. Detailed Statement of Work - a
description of proposed tasks and deliverables.
D. The Budget - all costs must be directly
identifiable and eligible for grant reimbursement. Expenses must be documentable and
traceable to the grant. Proposed
expenditures must be submitted to the Department, on forms prescribed and
provided by the Department, and shall include at a
minimum:
1. Demonstration through a
resolution/financial statement of the source of the applicant's investment. This is to include all personal
contributions and any other public funds received or anticipated to be received
by the applicant.
2. Direct costs, shall
include:
a. Contractual
Services
b. Commodities
c. Equipment
d. All other direct
costs
e. Indirect costs (limited to 10
percent)
3. Total estimated
cost.
E. Pertinent Experience - a brief
description outlining experience of the applicant or project
manager.
F. Proposed Project Timetable - the
work program to be carried out under the grant must specify a timeline for major
project milestones and/or activities including the approximate start and end
date of each activity.
G. Results - a statement of the expected
outcome and benefits to the state/applicant as a result of this project in terms
of energy production. Preference
will be given to projects that demonstrate the greatest economic and
environmental benefits to Illinois residents and
businesses.
2.5 DEPARTMENT
ACTION
The Department shall screen all
applications to determine whether all requirements of the application package
have been met and whether the applicant is eligible for funding. Applicants shall be notified within 60
business days if the project is eligible for funding. Applicants shall be notified of
deficiencies in their applications and given an opportunity to correct such
deficiencies through submission of additional documentation. Twenty business days will be provided to
correct such deficiencies. If
sufficient documentation is not provided by this time, applications will be null
and void.
Upon submittal of an application,
the applicant agrees to the following:
A. State Not Liable - Recipients shall
hold the state of Illinois harmless from any and all claims, demands, and
actions based upon or arising out of any services performed by recipients or by
their agents or employees under a grant agreement. The Department, by entering into a grant
agreement, does not pledge or promise to pledge the assets of the state nor does
it promise to pay any compensation to the grant recipients from any moneys of
the treasury or the state except such moneys as shall be appropriated and paid
to the recipient by the Department.
B. Indemnity - The recipient agrees to
assume all risks of loss and to indemnify and hold the Department, its officers,
agents and employees, harmless from and against any and all liabilities,
demands, claims, damages, suits, costs, fees, and expenses, incidents thereto,
for injuries or death to persons and for loss of, damage to, or destruction of
property because of the recipient's negligence, intentional acts or
omissions. In the event of any
demand or claim, the Department may elect to defend any such demand or claim
against the Department and will be entitled to be paid by the recipient for all
damages.
C. Insurance - The recipient shall provide
Workers' Compensation Insurance or the same, as required, and shall accept full
responsibility for the payment of Unemployment Insurance, premiums for Workers'
Compensation, Social Security, and retirement and health insurance benefits, as
well as all income tax deductions required by law for its employees who are
performing services specified by the grant agreement.
D. Access - Recipients shall permit any
agent authorized by the Department, upon presentation of credentials, access to
the renewable energy project site during normal business hours, for which a
grant has been applied for.
E. The recipient shall return to the
Department any and all funds that are determined by the Department to have been
spent in violation of the grant agreement.
2.6 INELIGIBLE
GRANT APPLICANTS
This program will not fund projects
outside the state of Illinois, or energy projects involving the incineration,
burning or heating of waste wood, tires, garbage, general household,
institutional and commercial, industrial lunchroom or office waste, landscape
waste, or construction or demolition debris. In addition, if a municipal electric
utility or electric cooperative does not assess the Renewable Energy Resources
Trust Fund charge as established in Article 6 Section 6-4 of the Renewable
Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Coal Resources Development Law of 1997, its
customers shall not be eligible for RERP funding.
2.7
AUTHORITY/APPROVALS
The applicant's signature on the
application cover sheet, Appendix A, is its certification that all
authorizations required to perform the project have either been obtained or will
be obtained no later than 60 days following the project start date set forth in
the Notice of Grant Award issued by the Department.
2.8 LEGAL
COMPLIANCE
The applicant's signature on the
application cover sheet is its certification that the project complies with all
applicable state, federal and local environmental and zoning laws, ordinances
and regulations and that all permits, licenses, etc., required to perform the
project have either been obtained or will be obtained no later that 180 days
following the project start date set forth in the Notice of Grant
Award.
GENERAL
PROGRAM INFORMATION
SECTION 3
3.1 PAYMENT
SCHEDULE
The grant agreement will specify the
conditions of payment and the payment schedule. The Department reserves the right to
determine the appropriate payment structure on a project specific
basis.
3.2 REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS/PROJECT MONITORING
Grantees will be required to submit
progress and expenditure reports in accordance with the requirements of the
grant agreement. The Department
reserves the right to structure reporting requirements on a project specific
basis. The Department project
manager will monitor the grantee's compliance with the terms of the grant
agreement.
3.3 GRANT
DURATION/PERFORMANCE PERIOD
The grant term/performance period
will be determined on a project specific basis. Grantees will be required to certify the
Project Commencement Date to the Department. For the purposes of these guidelines,
the "Project Commencement Date" is the date on which all necessary procurement
is complete, equipment is installed and operational and all project tasks have
commenced.
Typically, the Department requires
12 months of performance, following the Project Commencement Date. The Department reserves the right to
require a longer performance period based upon the nature of the
proposal.
3.4 FREEDOM OF
INFORMATION ACT/CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Funded proposals are subject to
disclosure, in response to requests received under provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act (5 ILCS 140/1 et. seq.).
Information that could reasonably be considered to be proprietary,
privileged or confidential commercial or financial information should be
identified as such in the proposal.
The Department will maintain the confidentiality of that information only
to the extent permitted by law.
3.5
OWNERSHIP/USE OF EQUIPMENT
The grant agreement will
specifically prohibit the sale, lease, transfer, assignment, or encumbrance of
any equipment or material purchased with grant funds, without the express
written approval of the Department for the duration of the grant term. In the event of a grantee's failure to
comply with this requirement, the agreement will provide that the Department
may, at its discretion, require the grantee to return all grant funds provided
by the Department, require the grantee to transfer to the state ownership
of equipment and material purchased
with grant funds and bar the grantee from consideration for future funding. The Department reserves the right to
require the grantee to give it a purchase money security interest in equipment
purchased with grant funds for the duration of the grant
term.
3.6
DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION/TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
Grantees will be contractually
required to allow the Department access to the project site and the ability to
obtain, publish, disseminate or distribute any and all information obtained from
the project (except any data or information that has been negotiated as being
confidential or proprietary), without restriction and without payment or
compensation by the Department.
APPLICATION
PROCESS
SECTION 4
4.1 PROPOSAL
FORMAT
The proposal should be prepared in
the format described in Appendix B.
The proposal should include the information requested in Appendix A, B,
and C. Appendix A should be
completed and signed by the authorized official or owner. The proposal should not exceed 10 pages
in length.
4.2 SUBMITTAL
INSTRUCTIONS
One original and three copies of the
completed cover sheet and proposal should be mailed or delivered (fax/e-mail
submissions will not be accepted) to the address in Section 2.2
(B).
4.3 PROPOSAL
EVALUATION
Proposals may be submitted on an
ongoing basis as long as funds are available. All eligible proposals will be
independently evaluated based on the evaluation criteria. Evaluation criteria have been developed
to assist the Department in identifying those projects that display the most
potential for achieving the goals and objectives of the Renewable Energy
Resources Program. The Department
reserves the right to adjust the evaluation criteria to reflect any unique
considerations or requirements of other alternative energy development funding
sources. Applicants will be advised
of any such adjustments.
4.4 REJECTION
OF APPLICATIONS
The Department reserves the right to
reject any proposal that does not comply with the requirements of these
guidelines and approved program initiatives. Unsuccessful applicants who wish to
discuss the evaluation of their proposal should submit a written request to this
effect to the address listed in Section 2.2 (B).
The submission of a proposal under these guidelines confers no right upon any applicant. The Department is not obligated to award a grant or to pay any costs incurred by the applicant in the preparation and submission of a proposal.
APPENDIX A: Application Cover
Page
Application for
Grant Funding
A.1 Owner Information
____________________________________________________________________________Name
of Applicant (individual, governmental agency or organization)
____________________________________________________________________________
Street Address
____________________________ ______ __________________
_____/______________
City
State 9 digit Zip
Code
Telephone Number
________-________-________
_______-__________________
___________________
SSN (only if individual
applicant)
FEIN
County of Project
____________________________________________________________________________
Project Location/Address (if
different from above)
________________________________ _____/_______________
_____/_______________
Project Manager/Contact Person
Telephone Number
Fax Number
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A.2 Verification of Renewable Energy
Resources and Coal Technology Development Assistance Charge must be
provided.
Please attach a letter from your
utility stating that the applicant is serviced by an
invester-owned/municipal gas or electric utility or electric cooperative
which imposes the Renewable Energy Resources and Coal Technology Development
Assistance Charge as defined in
Public Act 90-561. The Department
will verify this information before a grant is issued to the applicant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B. System Information
________________
______________
________________
_________________
Make
Model
Warranty Period
Year of Manufacture
____________________
________________________
Date of purchase
Date the system was installed
____________________________________________________________________________
Name, Address, and Telephone Number
of entity who performed or will perform the installation
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. Type of Project (Check the appropriate box for
proposed project.)
|
q
Solar
Thermal q
Photovoltaic Cells and
Panels q Wind |
q
Organic Waste
Biomass q
Dedicated
Crops q Hydopower |
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
APPENDIX A:
(cont.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------D. Organization Legal
Status
|
q
Individual q
Owner of Sole
Proprietorship q
Partnership q
Tax-exempt hospital
or
extended
care facility q
Governmental
entity q
Corporation providing or
billing medical and/or health care services |
q
Corporation not providing
or
billing
medical and/or health
care
services q
Non resident alien
individual q
Estate or legal
trust q
Foreign corporation,
partnership estate or trust q
Other not-for-profit
organization q Other |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------E. State Legislative
Districts
Senate District
____________________ Representative
District ___________________
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F. Financing Information
Grant Request
$________________
Applicant Investment (in-kind)
$_______________
Total Project Cost $________________ Applicant Investment
(cash)
$_______________
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------G. Applicant
Certification
The
applicant certifies that:
Ÿ
It is
not in violation of the prohibitions against bribery of any officer or employee
of the State of Illinois as set forth in 30 ILCS 505/10.1;
Ÿ
It has not been
barred from contracting with a unit of state or local government as a result of
a violation of Section 33E-3 or
33E-4 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (720 ILCS 5/33 E-3 and 5/33
E-4);
Ÿ
It is not in
violation of the Educational Loan Default Act (5 ILCS 5/33 E-3 and 5/33 E-4);
and
Ÿ
As of the
submittal date, the information provided in this application is accurate, and
the individuals signing below are authorized to submit this
application.
___________________________________
___________________________________
Authorized Official/Owner
(signature)
Project Manager (signature)
___________________________________
___________________________________
Typed/Printed Name
Typed/Printed
Name
___________________________________
___________________________________
Title
Date
Title
Date
APPENDIX
B
Proposal
Requirements
B.1 Maximum Grant
Award
The maximum grant awards are
indicated in Section 2.3. The actual amount of the grant will be
determined by the Department based upon availability of Renewable Energy
Resources Program funds and the Department's evaluation of the proposed project
in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria set forth
herein.
B.2 Required
Applicant Investment
The applicant shall provide
sufficient funds and resources to complete the project. Grant limitation amounts and required
matching requirements are further delineated in Section 2.3. Department funds shall be used solely
for the purchase and installation of renewable energy systems. Applicants may not use overhead charges
or indirect costs greater than 10 percent to satisfy their matching
requirement.
B.3 Project Proposal
Format
The following information must be
provided in the proposal:
Completed Cover
Sheet (use format
set forth in Appendix A);
History of the
applicant;
Narrative
description of the
project, including project location, objectives, anticipated accomplishments,
and the technology to be employed;
Detailed statement of
work by task and
description of deliverables;
Project Budget (to be completed according to the
format set forth in Appendix C); amount of the Renewable Energy Resources
Program grant funds requested, applicant investment/contribution to the project,
and other sources of funding/letters of support;
Pertinent experience of applicant or project
manager;
Proposed project
timetable (project
milestones, completion of deliverables); and
Results of the project including economic
and environmental benefits to Illinois residents and businesses (the Department
may be available to assist in this assessment).
B.4 Evaluation
Criteria for Proposed Projects
1. Overall Quality of
Proposal