The Ohio Department of Development is accepting proposals for funds available for its “Transforming Waste to Value” program offered through the State Energy Plan and the America Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The goal of the State Energy Plan is to convert municipal solid wastes, food and farm wastes and other bio-mass waste materials into electricity, heat, fuel and/or bio-products, and to create jobs.

To be considered for funding, all interested parties must complete a two-step applications process:

Submit a one-page project summary on the Recovery.Ohio.gov Web site no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, August 16, 2010. Click on the “Submit Your Proposal” link in the “How To Apply” box.

Submit a proposal to the Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Energy Resources Division no later than 3 p.m. on Monday, August 23, 2010. The application forms can be found here.

The program will “leverage private investments in projects that will move forward and be completed within 12 months of the grant execution,” according to the Web site. A total of $10 million will be awarded through the program, with a minimum award of $500,000 per project and a maximum of $1 million per project.

Ohio Senate Bill 232 (SB 232) represents a major expansion of Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) renewable and advanced energy financing opportunities in Ohio. Bricker & Eckler is offering a PACE Funding and Special Improvement District Law webinar on Wednesday, July 7th from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The program will provide a comprehensive overview of the expanded PACE financing opportunities contained in SB 232, and will discuss how property owners can create special improvement districts in order to finance PACE projects in their communities. Click here for registration details.

Visit Bricker & Eckler's Energy SIDs and PACE Financing Resource Center.

Today's post comes from guest author, Jim Cogan, Business & Cooperative Programs Director for USDA Rural Development.  

USDA Rural Development recently guaranteed two long term loans totaling $13 million to an Ohio grower to replace the natural gas heating system in their green houses with a biomass boiler system saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in natural gas bills. Small businesses and farmers in rural areas can take advantage of the Rural Energy for America (REAP) loan guarantees and grants offered through Rural Development. Grants can cover up to 25% of the costs for renewable energy projects or energy efficiency improvements and loan guarantees can assist lenders financing the balance of a project. REAP loan guarantees can range from $5,000 to $25 million and grants start at $1,500 to max out at $500,000. Most grants and loan guarantees have been below $50,000.

Rural Development also has a program called Business & Industry (B&I) Loan Guarantees that offers lenders a guarantee on business loans made to rural businesses. Maximum loan size is usually $10 million, but expands to $25 million in some cases. Job savings and creation is a requirement for each loan and the loan does not need to be high risk. A bank may use the B&I program simply to exceed their legal lending limit or to improve the rate of return on investment through use of a secondary market. Nearly any type of rural business qualifies. Energy projects, manufacturing facilities, nursing homes, motels, machinery and equipment are just a few examples of eligible fund usage, along with debt refinancing. There are minimum balance sheet equity requirements and all loans must be fully collateralized on a discounted basis. Most guarantees are issued at 80%, but the guarantee percentage is reduced for larger loans. There is a one-time guarantee fee due at the time the guarantee is issued plus an annual renewal fee. The resulting loan often has a longer term and a better interest rate than competing conventional loans.

For more information or questions, contact Jim Cogan, Business and Cooperative Programs Director at 614-255-2420 or jim.cogan@oh.usda.gov

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.

State, county and local governments and tribal entities who have not previously applied for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants have until June 25, 2010 to submit applications to the newest round of funding.

The program, modeled after existing Community Development Block Grants, allows cities and counties to apply for ARRA money to implement energy efficiency and conservation measures including, but not limited to:

• City/County-wide energy efficiency audits 
• Lighting retrofits 
• Boiler and HVAC updates

Go to http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-12405.pdf or contact Greg Lestini at Bricker & Eckler LLP at glestini@bricker.com for more information.

Columbus Business First has a story detailing the disbursal of $773,107 in state funds for "clean coal" research and development. According to the story, Columbus-based Battelle Memorial Institute will receive $500,000 to develop a computer model to refine estimates of underground storage capacity in western Ohio for carbon dioxide emissions from coal-burning power plants. Additionally, Ohio State University will receive $273,107 to establish a pilot project to demonstrate a method for capturing carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide at Ohio’s coal-burning power plants. The funding comes from Ohio's $150 million Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Plan, $66 million of which is dedicated to clean coal.

State Representative Debbie Phillips (D-Athens) introduced to the State Senate her bill proposing the creation of the Ohio Energy Resource Center at Ohio University's Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. The center would serve as an information hub for companies and governmental entities interested in developing renewable and advanced energy projects. The bill passed the Ohio House last year. A summary of the bill is here. The full bill is here.

The Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC), a consortium that negotiates for electricity and natural gas deals on behalf of 129 communities, said that it will give each community $50,000 for energy efficiency, conservation, and other clean energy projects, according to this story in The Plain Dealer. NOPEC will begin accepting grant applications for the first round of funding on March 1.

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.

The dedication ceremony for the largest on-site, third-party-operated renewable energy system at any Ohio school will be held today at Upper Scioto Valley School District in Hardin County. Two wind turbines recently installed on the District's high school campus will provide up to one-third of the electricity for the school's new Wind/Energy Academy and Green Lab facility and serve as a learning resource for renewable energy and other emerging clean technologies. The project was developed by NexGen Energy Partners, LLC, a national on-site renewable energy systems company. Bricker & Eckler LLP was pleased to participate in the structuring of this initiative.

Read more about the project:
NexGen's press release
Project at-a-glance

In a joint press release today, the U.S. Treasury Department and Energy Department announced a milestone in Federal grants in lieu of tax credits under the 1603 program. Section 1603 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created a program whereby renewable energy companies could receive direct payments for projects instead of tax credits. The program has completed its second phase of funding in less than the statutorily mandated 60-day turnaround. More information can be found at http://www.treas.gov/press/releases/20099221094315090.htm.

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.

Please join us for a one-day intensive training that will explore subsidies available for renewable energy projects in Ohio.  Featured panelists include Ohio Air Quality Development Authority Executive Director and Energy Advisor to Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, Mark Shanahan, Steven Klein of First Infrastructure, LLC, the Financial Advisor to the upcoming U.S. Department of Energy's 1705 Loan Guarantee Program, and Ohio Air Quality Development Authority General Counsel Darrell Fields.

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.

Ohio House Bill 1, the biennium budget, allows Ohio municipalities and townships to assist property owners in financing solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, including roof-top and ground-mounted solar arrays and solar water heaters.

Find out more about the new legislation and how municipalities and townships can assist with these SIDs in this Bricker & Eckler Green Strategies Bulletin.

On June 9, 2009, Governor Ted Strickland and Mark Shanahan, Executive Director of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority and energy advisor to the Governor announced the first two awards of advanced energy funding under Ohio’s 2008 Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan Advanced Energy Fund. The recipients of these first two awards were AMP-Ohio and Willard & Kelsey Solar Group. AMP-Ohio received a $30 million bridge loan to assist in the construction of its 1,000-megawatt clean-coal generating station in Meigs County, while Willard & Kelsey received a $10 Million loan over two years to assist in financing the company’s planned expansion of its Perrysburg solar manufacturing facility. 

In the funding announcement, Governor Strickland stated, “The first two recipients of these funds are great examples of how investing in advanced energy technologies is stimulating Ohio’s economy,” said Strickland. “The impacts of President Obama’s recovery act and our bipartisan state stimulus package are becoming evident – we are creating the jobs of the future in Ohio today.” The Governor's comments were echoed by, Dr. Shanahan, who stated, “These two outstanding projects demonstrate that the Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program is fulfilling its mission to support cutting-edge projects that are on a fast track toward commercialization. These investments can attract additional investment and will put Ohioans to work in the jobs of the future.”

The Advanced Energy Fund was signed into law by Governor Strickland approximately a year ago, and includes  $66  million  for  clean  coal  technology  projects, and  $84  million,  to  be  allocated  in  three  $28  million  annual  appropriations,  for  non-coal-related  projects.   As announced last October, OAQDA’s  process for awarding funds  includes review by both  internal  and  external  reviewers,  review by the  Development  Finance  Advisory  Council,  and, finally, review and approval by the  State  Controlling  Board.  To learn more about the Advanced Energy Fund or to apply, see OAQDA’s Advanced Energy Fund website.

Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2009 Notice of Solicitation for Applicants ("NOSA") for the Rural Energy for America Program ("REAP").  This program provides grant and loan guarantee funding opportunities for rural small businesses to develop qualifying renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.  For the year 2009, $60 million in funding is available, and USDA will fund 25 percent of eligible project costs up to $500,000 for renewable energy projects and $250,000 for energy efficiency projects. Loan guarantees are funded up to the lesser of $25 million or 75% of eligible project costs. Applications are due to USDA by July 31, 2009.

You can access more information on the REAP NOSA that was released by USDA earlier today at:  http://farmenergy.org/news/usda-announces-reap-funding-for-2009.