BOSTON – As part of Governor Patrick’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state's economic future, the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) is soliciting proposals from the public and private sectors for an array of innovative clean power and energy efficient projects that could be eligible for federal stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The US Department of Energy (US DOE) recently requested applications for a share of approximately $156 million that is expected to fund up to 72 projects to deploy energy efficient technologies nationwide. DOER is preparing a comprehensive application on behalf of all interested Massachusetts entities and will submit it to the US DOE by July 14. Cities and towns, private firms, state agencies, institutions of healthcare and higher education, and non-profit organizations have until June 30 to respond to a recently-posted DOER Program Opportunity Notice.

Projects eligible for The Clean Energy & Industrial Efficiency Program - which must be “shovel ready” within 120 days of receiving federal funding – advance the Patrick Administration’s clean energy goals through energy efficiency and reduced fossil fuel-based energy generation, while meeting strict environmental standards.  Eligible projects include:
 

• Combined heat and power, 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 percent.

“I encourage businesses, municipalities and others to come forward with proposals for putting this federal funding to work here in Massachusetts,” DOER Commissioner Philip Giudice said. “Increasing investment in these innovative energy technologies will move us further along the path to a clean energy future that Governor Patrick is blazing for Massachusetts.”

Commissioner Giudice noted that combined heat and power (CHP) is among the technologies supported by a new Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS) established by the Green Communities Act of 2008. Augmenting the Commonwealth’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, APS regulations that took effect in January require utilities and other electricity suppliers to purchase power from APS-eligible sources at a rate of 0.75 percent of sales this year, and increasing to 5 percent by 2020.

Under terms of the DOE’s program, ARRA funding will pay up to 50 percent of projects selected for funding.

“Putting this federal money to work encouraging combined heat and power and other energy efficiency projects will allow companies to save significant money on energy costs, making them more competitive at a time when every penny counts,” said Robert A. Rio, Senior Vice President and Counsel at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Inc.

"The Commonwealth is poised to be a national leader in deploying technologies that use energy more efficiently. This will help us fight global warming, help consumers reduce their energy bills, and position the state for job growth in the clean energy sector," said Sam Krasnow, Attorney with Environment Northeast.

Investments in clean power and industrial energy efficiency are critical components of Governor Patrick’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, which combines state, federal and, where possible, private efforts to provide immediate and long-term relief and position the Commonwealth for recovery in the following ways: 

 

• Deliver immediate relief by investing in the road, bridge and rail projects that put people to work today and providing safety net services that sustain people who are especially vulnerable during an economic crisis;
• Build a better tomorrow through education and infrastructure investments that strengthen our economic competitiveness, prepare workers for the jobs of the future, and support clean energy, broadband, and technology projects that cut costs while growing the economy; and
• Reform state government by eliminating the pension and ethics loopholes that discredit the work of government and revitalize the transportation networks that have suffered from decades of neglect and inaction.

For more information, please visit www.mass.gov/recovery. For details on DOER’s Program of Opportunity Notice click here