San Francisco-based One Block Off the Grid (1BOG), the nation’s largest solar group purchasing company, launched a new program to support Cleveland-area homeowners through the solar buying process. Homeowners who join the free online group are eligible for a 15 percent group discount rate and advice and tools for installing solar systems.

1BOG selected Astrum Solar, the Maryland-based solar developer that recently set up shop in Youngstown to service the group’s installs for the program’s three-month duration. The 1BOG Cleveland solar group purchase program is available to Cleveland-area homeowners through November 30, 2010. For more information, visit the 1BOG Solar Cleveland homepage.

Registration is now open for the renewable energy roadshow coming to the Columbus Hyatt Regency on Sept. 29. Sponsored by the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest, the roadshow will focus on the wind and solar industries' supply chains. Admission is $65 for Chamber members and $75 for nonmembers.

Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio State University President Gordon Gee were on hand yesterday in Upper Sandusky to help unveil the largest solar installation in Ohio and one of the largest such facilities east of the Mississippi River. The 80-acre, 12-megawatt facility is owned by New Jersey-based PSEG Solar Source, but was built by Ohio workers with much of the equipment produced in-state. With more than 159,000 ground-mounted panels, the solar farm produces enough emission-free electricity to power about 1,500 homes.

The Ohio State University Extension helped Wyandot County officials study the project and organize public forums. Juwi Solar Inc. developed the solar farm. Vaughn Industries, based in Wyandot County, was the primary construction contractor. Ohio residents filled nearly all of the construction jobs created by the project. First Solar, which has a major manufacturing plant in Perrysburg, OH, supplied the solar panels. Myers Controlled Power of North Canton, OH, provided the power stations.

American Electric Power subsidiaries Columbus Southern Power and Ohio Power companies have a long-term agreement with PSEG Solar Source to purchase the electricity generated at the farm.

Maryland-based solar company Astrum Solar announced that it has entered the Ohio market and opened a 25-person office in Youngstown. The company, which installs solar panel systems on residential and small commercial properties, said it is responding to the growing demand of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania energy consumers aspiring to become clean energy producers. Astrum started selling solar systems in Northeast Ohio in April. Besides Ohio, the company has operations in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington D.C. 

The 25-person Youngstown office installs solar panel systems throughout Ohio and Western Pennsylvania. Already one of the largest residential solar panel system installers in Pennsylvania, Astrum said the Youngstown office will bolster its ability to serve homeowners throughout the region.

The Columbus Dispatch has an article detailing a clean energy conference held in Columbus this week. Business leaders at the inaugural event--dubbed Innovation Starts Here--discussed the need for a comprehensive and coherent climate and energy policy at the federal level. There conference was sponsored in part by The Ohio Business Council for a Clean Economy, an advocacy group composed of Ohio businesses that support climate legislation.

Dayton Power & Light Co. this week officially opened a 1.1-megawatt solar array at a substation in suburban Dayton. According to the company, the facility--being hailed as the largest in Southwestern Ohio--should be able to supply 150 homes annually with power. Coverage of the opening is here, here and here. Last week, Juwi Solar Inc. announced the completion a 12-megawatt solar project in Wyandot County. The Juwi facility is the largest solar project currently operating in the state.   

USA Today published a story detailing Toledo's growth as a leader in the solar industry, thanks in large part to the efforts of The University of Toledo. As the article puts it, the payoff for the region's efforts so far:

"At least 6,000 people work in the area's solar industry. First Solar, which makes solar panels, was founded here and employs more than 1,000 at its 900,000-square-foot plant here. There are more than a dozen solar-related start-up companies in the area. The University of Toledo is home to top solar researchers and has a business incubator that provides business services to solar entrepreneurs. It has graduated four solar companies and is working with six more. Owens Community College, which had 13 students in its first solar class in 2004, has trained 255 solar installers."

On June 9, The Cleveland - First Suburbs Solar Special Improvement District Pilot Program (District) was awarded an EfficientGovNow grant after voters cast nearly 17,500 votes in May. The grant-winning program, called “Let the Sun Shine In,” is intended to assist local businesses in implementing solar energy. Cleveland’s Fund for Our Economic Future, which issues the grants, called the program – the first of its kind in Ohio – “a novel effort to stimulate greater use of solar electricity.” 

The goal of “Let the Sun Shine In” is to build a financing mechanism to make solar photovoltaic and solar thermal projects more financially feasible. The program will create a solar special improvement district (SID) to facilitate solar improvement projects within its member communities, as allowed recently under House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 232. With an anticipated budget of over $5 million, the program is expected to serve about 911,000 people in the Cleveland metropolitan area. After the pilot program, the District anticipates soon adding programs for energy efficiency, wind, geothermal and biomass.

The program is a collaboration between the First Suburbs Consortium Development Council, a not-for-profit organization aimed at fostering economic and community development in Cleveland-area suburbs, and the City of Cleveland. A key goal of the City of Cleveland and First Suburbs is increasing private sector interest in development projects within its sixteen suburban member communities.

EfficientGovNow “is a competitive grant awards program that encourages and accelerates government collaboration, cooperation and efficiency by providing rounds of funding to government collaboration projects as selected by the residents of Northeast Ohio.” The Cleveland – First Suburbs solar program was one of four proposals to win the grant, which is funded in part by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and overseen by the Kent State Center for Public Administration and Public Policy. The program will receive disbursements of the $100,000 grant in stages, as it reaches certain benchmarks.

Thanks to Daniel Gerken, Bricker & Eckler Summer Associate, for his contributions to this post.

The (Toledo) Blade has a story about the largest solar power field in Ohio starting operations. The Wyandot Solar project, developed by Juwi Solar Inc. and located on an 83-acre site near Upper Sandusky, started supplying two American Electric Power companies -- Ohio Power and Columbus Southern Power -- with 12 megawatts of power on May 26. That is enough electricity to power more than 1,400 homes.

American Municipal Power, Inc.,  a Columbus-based power wholesaler, is making headlines on a variety of fronts these days. This week, it announced plans to team with Maryland-based Standard Energy LLC to develop up to 300 megawatts of solar power, potentially making it one of the country's largest solar developers. As reported by The Akron Beacon Journal, AMP would offer solar-generated electricity to its 128 member communities in Ohio and five other states. Other news of the deal can be found here and here.  AMP is also developing two hydroelectric projects on the Ohio River, in addition to the one it already operates.

AMP has also been in the news because of its plans to retire its Richard H. Gorsuch coal-fired power plant in eastern Ohio as part of a settlement resolving alleged violations of federal clean air laws, as reported by The New York Times and a variety of other news outlets (see here, here and here). AMP agreed to spend more than $15 million to settle the lawsuit, stemming from allegations that AMP made modifications to the power plant without obtaining the proper permits and installing necessary pollution controls. AMP's consent decree with the U.S. EPA and Justice Department is available here.

Youngstown State University announced plans to install a 10,000-square foot solar array on the roof of Moser Hall, which houses the school's engineering programs. According to a YSU news release, this is the first such installation at YSU and one of the largest of its kind in Northeast Ohio. Installation is expected to take place by late summer or early fall. In addition to its foray into solar power, YSU recently committed to $10 million in energy efficiency upgrades, including more efficient lighting, improved steam traps and insulation, and more efficient chillers. The schools hopes to achieve a 20 percent reduction in energy consumption and savings of $500,000 per year in lighting costs alone. Shaker Heights-based Carbon Vision LLC will coordinate the installation. Carbon Vision's announcement of the project is here. News of the project is here.

SunEdison, the solar energy development division of MEMC Electronic Materials, announced an agreement with private equity firm First Reserve Corporation to establish a joint venture that could provide for the acquisition of up to $1.5 billion in current and future SunEdison solar photovoltaic energy projects.

The two companies will make capital contributions to the joint venture as qualifying projects are constructed in the target markets of the United States, Italy, Spain and Canada. SunEdison will lead the project identification and development process and First Reserve will lead the project financing efforts. Once constructed, the projects will be purchased by the joint venture and then operated and managed by SunEdison. Power generated by the projects will be sold pursuant to long-term power purchase agreements or feed-in tariff arrangements.

On April 16, 2010, TransCanada Power Marketing, Ltd., a power marketing company, filed a lawsuit in a Massachusetts federal court challenging the constitutionality of the solar "carve out" in Massachusetts' renewable portfolio standard (RPS) -- click here for a copy of the complaint. More specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the provision in Massachusetts law requiring electric suppliers to purchase a portion of their required renewable energy credits from in-state solar generators unlawfully discriminates against out-of-state solar developers. The ramifications of this lawsuit could be far-reaching on states such as Ohio with similar requirements in their RPS. In fact, Ohio's RPS contains a broader in-state requirement than Massachusetts that requires at least one-half of all renewable energy resources generated in Ohio to be derived from facilities located in Ohio.

According to NBC 4 in Toledo, the Veterans' Glass City Skyway, which carries Interstate 280 across the Maumee River, will be equipped with an array of solar panels. Transportation officials are trying to determine if the technology can produce energy savings on other highway projects. The project is being funded with a $1.5 million federal grant.

According to an article in Columbus Business First, a project to install solar panels at Bexley's new police station has fallen through because the developer ran "out of time to cash in on a $335,000 economic stimulus grant." The article details how Westerville-based SolarVision LLC missed a state deadline to show it had an agreement with the city of Bexley because of lingering questions about the "project’s financial implications and aesthetics.

The Vote Solar Initiative and Clean Power Finance are hosting a webinar on Thursday, April 8, to provide information on solar legislation in the Midwest. The webinar, starting at 2 PM ET, is free and will include:

• Introduction to the Vote Solar mission and Midwest Director, Claudia Eyzaguirre;
• Overview of Midwest solar standards and what roadblocks remain in building lasting and larger markets;
• Updates on the latest policy and legislative goals in:
  • Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, & Michigan
• A Question and answer session: Email your Midwest solar policy questions

Register for the webinar here.

State Rep. Roland Winburn (D-Dayton) has introduced a bill that would abate the tangible personal property tax levied on wind- and solar-power generating facilities, substituting in its place an annual fee based on a facility's power generation and the amount of its employees that are Ohio residents. The bill is a response to Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to eliminate the tax in his State of the State speech earlier this year. The bill is competing with one introduced by State Sen. Chris Widener(R-Springfield). Under Widener's bill, in lieu of the tax, wind and solar companies would pay an annual fee based on power generation and would be subject to a less stringent jobs requirement than the one in Winburn's bill.

Previous posts on the competing bills are here, here and here.

The Columbus Dispatch reports today that U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown is "hopeful" after a meeting with President Obama that Congress can reach a bipartisan agreement on comprehensive climate change legislation. Off the negotiating table is a House bill passed last year that would have created a cap-and-trade regulatory system. "Instead," according to the article, "senators are trying to bridge party differences by creating incentives that would encourage the development of wind and solar energy, boost the use of nuclear power and open large swaths of the coastal United States to oil exploration."

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer reports that wind power advocates "blew through" Washington D.C. with a message to Congress that up to 274,000 green energy jobs could be created if the federal government begins requiring utilities to produce a portion of their energy from renewable sources. According to the article, 29 states, including Ohio, have already set such targets. The advocates were critical of a so-called "Buy American" plan being floated by U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown that would apply to clean energy projects funded by federal stimulus dollars.

In the final installment of its three-part series on Ohio's attempts to grow its clean energy economy, The (Toledo) Blade details how the University of Toledo's solar energy programs have to compete with larger, higher-profile institutions--such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Michigan--for federal grants and other investments. Part one of the series is here. Part two is here.

Congratulations to the City of Athens and SolarVision on what looks to be a win-win solar deal!  Read full story in the Athens Messenger.

A new coalition has formed to encourage the General Assembly to carry out Governor Ted Strickland's proposal to abate the tangible personal property tax on wind and solar generation facilities that break ground in 2010, begin operating by the end of 2012, and create jobs in the process. Led by the American Wind Energy Association, the group--Wind and Solar Jobs for Ohio--is made up of advanced energy manufacturers, developers, public officials, community leaders, policy advocates, researchers, and other Ohioans that support the adoption of a competitive tax structure for wind and solar projects in Ohio. The Coalition believes an adjustment to Ohio's personal property tax would encourage billions of dollars worth of investments in renewable energy. These investments, the Coalition believes, will create thousands of jobs, stimulate local economic activity, and create new manufacturing opportunities throughout Ohio.

For more information, or to add your name to the coalition roster and be kept informed on the issue, visit: http://www.windandsolarjobsforohio.com.

Ever wonder how much it would cost to install solar panels at your home or business? The folks at Find Solar have an impressive collection of online tools to help you find out. The tools at Find Solar include a solar calculator and a map that breaks down solar power incentives by state. The site also contains a ranking of states based on their Solar Power Rating, calculated by determining the state incentives available for a sample project. Ohio is 26th on the list. Find Solar is a partnership between the American Solar Energy Society and Cooler Planet, a Seattle-based company that acts as a matchmaker between people who want to install solar projects and companies that can assist them.

The Section 1603 grant program which was created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, whereby eligible applicants and renewable energy projects may receive a 30% cash grant in lieu of an investment tax credit (“ITC”), is set to expire at the end of 2010.

In an effort to prevent this program from expiring, Senators Dianne Feinstein, (D-Calif.), and Jeff Merkley, (D-Ore.) introduced the Renewable Energy Incentive Act (S. 2899) to extend the program until 2012 and to expand the Section 1603 program to continue to spur the development of renewable energy employment, construction, and development. 

The Section 1603 grant program has already distributed over two billion dollars to eligible projects and is a key component in financing renewable energy projects given the decline in the tax equity market. 

The Section 1603 grant program helps renewable energy developers secure affordable financing to move forward with capital-intensive projects. As noted above, it is currently slated to expire in 2010, but this deadline is well before most large scale renewable energy projects will be ready to begin construction or the tax equity market will be primed to rebound. The legislation will also expand this program to allow public power utilities to participate and will create a new tax credit for solar manufacturing facilities and the construction of large solar projects on disturbed private lands.

The key provisions of the Feinstein-Merkley bill are:

• Extend the Treasury Grants Program until 2012: The program allows renewable energy developers to take grants, or payments, from the Treasury department instead of claiming tax credits in order to help build projects that require a great deal of capital upfront.
• Permits Public Power Utilities to receive Treasury Grants for Renewable Energy: The bill will also allow public power utilities to receive Treasury Grants for renewable energy projects. 
• Expands the solar investment tax credit to include manufacturing equipment and solar water heaters for commercial and community pools. The bill would allow equipment that makes solar panels to qualify for the 30 percent solar investment tax credit.
• Establishes a new solar tax credit for consolidation of disturbed private land with high solar value. The bill would create a 30 percent investment tax credit for the purchase, consolidation, and use of multiple, 100 acre or less blocks of high solarity, disturbed private lands for solar development. 

If you have any questions related to this legislation or the Section 1603 program generally, please contact Kevin M. Kinross (614-227-8824 or kkinross@bricker.com)

The folks at RenewableEnergyWorld.com have published a nice breakout of the clean energy funding proposals in President Obama's $28.4 billion budget request for fiscal year 2011. The budget request includes $2.36 billion for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), a 5 percent increase over fiscal year 2010. The increase in funding for a number of EERE programs would be substantial, including a 53 percent increase for wind energy, a 43 percent increase for the Weatherization and Intergovernmental Program, a 32 percent increase for the Federal Energy Management Program, a 25 percent increase for geothermal energy, and a 22 percent increase for solar energy.

In today's Dayton Daily News there's more evidence of government money flowing to renewable energy projects. The story details how the company, Assembly & Test Worldwide, will add 82 jobs to its Dayton plant to produce glass-coating machines for solar panel manufacturers. The $1.4 million expansion was made possible by city and state government grants.

State Reps. Debbie Phillips (D) and Dan Stewart (D) have introduced a bill in the Ohio House of Representatives that would exempt from property taxation the cost of energy-conservation and renewable energy projects installed on business property in Ohio. The bill would also create a capital gains income tax deduction on the sale of business property with such improvements. Covered projects include solar, wind, geothermal, and energy efficiency improvements.

Under the terms of the bill, starting in 2010, business property owners would be able to claim a property tax exemption equaling the lesser of 35 percent of the cost of the qualifying improvement to the property or the increase, if any, in the assessed value of the property caused by the improvement. Under the income tax provisions, if a business property owner would recognize a capital gain on the sale of property containing an improvement made by that same owner, the owner could claim a deduction calculated based on the length of time since the improvement was installed. The deduction schedule would be:

• 100 percent: For improvements put into service within the five years before the end of the taxable year
• 75 percent: For improvements put into service more than five years but less than ten years before the end of the taxable year
• 50 percent: For improvements put into service more than ten years before the end of the taxable year

Jeff Bell with Business First continues his comprehensive coverage of advanced energy issues in Ohio. Today he looks at the proposed expansion of Ohio's law allowing muncipal bonds to finance solar systems. The bill, Senate Bill 223, would allow energy efficiency and a few other renewable technologies to qualify for this financing. The article is a good primer on the new bill. More information on the topic can be found at our HB 1 Resource Center.

Read the article on Business First's website
(subscription required for full article).

Bricker and Eckler LLP has added a resource center with information on Solar SIDs and PACE financing opportunities for your local government, your industry, your business or your home.

Energy SIDs Resource Center

Applications pending as of February 2, 2010 with the Ohio Power Siting Board.
 

Governor Strickland focused on advanced energy in his State of the State address on January 26, 2010. Without providing extensive details, the Governor called for the suspension of Ohio’s tangible personal property tax on generation for wind and solar companies that break ground on projects in 2010, produce energy by 2012, and create Ohio jobs in the process. It is not clear if other forms of alternative energy will qualify for the personal property tax exemption.

The Governor also announced the creation of a $40 million "Energy Gateway Fund." The combination of state and federal funds will be used to help companies start or expand clean and advanced energy projects in Ohio. The fund will offer capital to companies with products ready for the commercial market, and will require a 1-to-1 match from private dollars.

Changes in the tangible personal property tax will require action by the Ohio General Assembly. Details on both programs will be forthcoming. The text of the speech can be found here, and Strickland Administration highlights here.

Established as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Section 48C Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit Program is a competitive program aimed at revitalizing manufacturing through the production and manufacturing of certain eligible advanced energy equipment and products.  The Manufacturing Tax Credit will provide manufacturers with an investment tax credit of 30 percent.  For more information on the Manufacturing Tax Credit, see Bricker & Eckler's August 2009 bulletin entitled "Stimulus to Provide Tax Breaks for Manufacturers of Advanced Energy Products and Equipment."

On January 8, 2010, President Obama announced the selection of 183 projects in 43 states, including Ohio, that will receive approximately $2.3 billion in such tax credits.  Among the selected projects in Ohio are the: (1) expansion of the solar PV manufacturing facility of FirstSolar, Inc. in Perrysburg, Ohio; (2) expansion of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co.'s production of certain films used in solar PV in Circleville, Ohio; and (3) production of a flexible, lightweight solar cell for easy application on rooftops by Xunlight Corporation in Toledo, Ohio.  A complete listing of all 183 projects can be found here.

In a press release from the Corporation today, Melink Corp. announced that it's headquarters, located in Milford, Ohio, is the State's first LEED Platinum Certified building. The complex included solar panels on the roof and a wind turbine on premises. According to Melink, their building is 75% more efficient than a conventional building. Read more below or click here for a photo of Melink's headquarters.

[January 14, 2010. MILFORD, OH] Melink Corporation just received notification from the United States Green Building Council that its super energy-efficient headquarters has earned the LEED Platinum Certification for Existing Buildings.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a rating system for green buildings. Platinum is the highest rating that can be achieved and Melink is the first in Ohio to achieve this distinction for an existing building. There are only 24 LEED Platinum Existing Buildings in the world. 

The Melink headquarters was the first LEED Gold Certified building in Ohio in 2006. Since then the company has even further improved its energy efficiency and installed additional renewable energy, ie. solar and wind power systems. 

At present the 30,000 square foot office and manufacturing facility is 75% more energy efficient than a conventional building. As a result the company is saving more than a $100 per day and $35,000 per year in energy costs.

Steve Melink, President of Melink Corporation, states that the next goal is to make the facility a net zero energy building within another year. This means that the building will export as much energy to the grid as it imports and uses from the grid.

"The building industry is rapidly embracing sustainability and we want to help lead the way," says Steve. "Though the Midwest is typically conservative, Ohio is becoming both a market and supply chain for green technologies and best practices." 

Melink is a provider of building commissioning services, ventilation controls, and renewable energy products for commercial building owners. They work with national retail, restaurant, supermarket, and hotel chains, as well as hospitals, schools, and other institutions across the country. 

Contact Info:

Jennifer Sivak
Melink Corporation
5140 River Valley Road
Milford, OH 45150
513-965-7318
jsivak@melinkcorp.com

Before wrapping up for the year, the Ohio House of Representatives passed an amended House Bill 113 which promotes advanced energy projects at Ohio's Primary and Secondary schools. The bill was amended heavily in Committee, making it a pilot project instead of a full-blown initiative. 

The provisions in the bill set different renewable energy generation standards based on school enrollment and shorten the allowable pay-back period from the originally proposed 30-year timeline to the new 15-year timeline. In addition, a floor amendment to the bill makes it easier for school boards to terminate a contract with a provider "if the board determines that the cost the district pays for the electricity generated by the renewable energy system is substantially greater than the retail rate of electricity that would have been payable by the district if the system had not been installed."

Read the full text of the bill

Avon Lake has enlisted Engineering Process Systems and NexGen to install solar panels for its safety building which is estimated to replace 15 percent of the building's current energy use and save approximately $100 - $200 per month.  Read more about Avon Lake's recent council meeting.>

Today, Governor Strickland announced that 25 Ohio projects will receive more than $13 million in grant awards through the ARRA State Energy program. Congratulations to the Ohio recipients of AARA funding for wind and solar projects! Read full press release here.

Congratulations to First Solar on its exciting plans for continued growth!

Read full article in The Toledo Blade

Here is the latest list of projects submitted to the PUCO for Renewable Energy Credits.

Applications filed as November 16, 2009.
 

On October 7, 2009, the US DOE announced that it will provide $750 million in credit subsidy funding to help accelerate the development of commercialized renewable energy projects under the Section 1705 Loan Guarantee program of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Department's plan is to utilize the new Financial Institution Partnership Program (FIPP) through which approved private sector lenders will underwrite loan guarantees for conventional renewable energy projects such as wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, and hydropower. For more detailed information on the program, see the US DOE's Loan Guarantee Program (http://www.lgprogram.energy.gov/) and Bricker & Eckler LLP's Green Strategies Bulletin Loan Guarantees for Commercial Renewable Energy Projects Announced.

See this Business First article about the potential for Ohio to become a leader in the solar energy space.

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2009/10/12/story3.html
(subscription required to read full text of article)

Please join Bricker & Eckler LLP and Novogradac & Company LLP for a one-day intensive training workshop that will explore options and tools for financing Ohio renewable energy projects. 

Featured panelists include:

• Mark Shanahan, Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Executive Director and Energy Advisor to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland
• Steven Klein, First Infrastructure LLC, Financial Advisor to the upcoming U.S. Department of Energy's 1705 Loan Guarantee Program
• Darrell Fields, Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, General Counsel 

Agenda at a glance:

• Tour of State Subsidies 
• Debt Financing 
• Structuring Equity Transactions 
• Ohio's Role & Next Steps 

Wednesday, October 14th 
10 am - 4 pm
Cleveland Forum Conference Center

For agenda and registration information visit: http://www.novoco.com/emails/events/2009/aug_09-5.htm

Financing Ohio's Renewable Energy is being co-sponsored by Bricker & Eckler LLP and Novogradac & Company LLP.

The Ohio Department of Development and Governor Ted Strickland’s office recently announced the Deploying Renewable Energy: Wind and Solar Grant, a $14 million program that seeks individuals, partnerships, companies, and entities that meet the requirements of a proposal to install qualified solar electric, solar thermal and wind electric technologies.  Third party ownership projects are also eligible to apply.  Between $250,000 and $1 million will be awarded to each project through a competitive process.  Applicants must be in the State of Ohio, and match the total investment with at least 50% of total costs.  Completion of the project must be within 12 months and have a direct economic impact in Ohio.

For more information on this program please go to the website:  development.ohio.gov/recovery/FundingOpportunities.htm

The folks at Green Energy Ohio do an excellent job with the annual solar tour.  It's a nice opportunity to see PV installations all across the state.

Details on Solar Tour

Don't miss this excellent news clip of Toledo solar developer Norm Johnston and State Senator Mark Wagoner discussing a plan to roll out utility scale solar fields across Ohio.  Johnston believes his plans would create thousands of jobs for Ohioans building the solar fields required by the state's new advanced energy law, Senate Bill 221.

The current issue of Business First of Columbus has two interesting articles exploring Ohio's continuing entry into the advanced energy marketplace.

Green Report: Manufacturers primed for wind turbines, but market soft

Green Report:  Companies, environment stand to benefit from solar growth

Bricker & Eckler client bulletin on grants available in lieu of traditional renewable energy production or investment tax credits which are intended to provide incentives for businesses to move forward with renewable energy projects in 2009 and 2010 in spite of the economic downturn.

Read the full bulletin

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council recently released this Report highlighting the major trends that occurred in the U.S. solar marketplace in 2008.

Visit the IREC website here

As of July 23, 2009, nine certification applications for biomass facilities have been filed at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio pursuant to the certification process established by the not-yet-effective rule, Ohio Administrative Code Rule 4901:1-40-04, which permits an alternative energy project to be certified as one that is eligible to produce Ohio Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).

One out-of-state wind application was filed for an existing Indiana facility, Fowler Ridge Wind Farm LLC, located in PJM territory, owned by Fowler I Holdings in Houston, Texas, with a name plate capacity of 301 MW. The distributed generation net metering facility has an interconnection agreement with Indiana Michigan Power Company.

There have also been two solar applications, one by Twenty-First Century Energy LLC, requested certification for a photovoltaic facility in Fairborn, Ohio with a nameplate capacity of .041 MW to be sold in a distributed generation setting involving a net metering agreement with Dayton Power and Light. The other facility, the Exelon-Epuron Solar Energy Center in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in PJM territory, is owned by TD Bank of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and has a name plate capacity of 3 MW that will provide distributed generation without net metering to PECO.

There are five biomass certification applications. The first, by Schmack BioMass OARDC, requested certification of its anaerobic digestion facility (with a nameplate capacity of .4 MW) as an Ohio renewable energy resource. The electricity produced will be supplied directly to buildings on its campus located in Cleveland, Ohio. The second, located in Shakopee, Minnesota, the Koda Energy facility, is owned by Trinity Carbon Management, LLC of Austin, Texas, has a nameplate capacity of nearly 24 MW and is located in MISO territory. The facility is interconnected with Northern States Power and provides distributed generation with both on-site use and wholesale sales.

Three separate limited liability companies which appear to be ultimately owned by Energy Developments, Inc., filed for landfill gas projects in Lowellville, Oberlin and Port Clinton, Ohio. The projects’ aggregated nameplate capacity of 35.1 MW with the output to be sold to AMP-Ohio in distributed generation settings involving American Transmission Systems and Oberlin Municipal Light and Power System. 

Wabash Valley Power Association, Inc., a rural electric co-operative, filed for Jay County Landfill Gas Facility, a solid waste facility, located in Portland, Indiana, in PJM territory, that has a nameplate capacity of 3.2 MW.