FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Businesses Praise Governor for Signing Clean Energy Grant Legislation
ATLANTA – On Earth Day 2009, business interests applauded Governor Perdue for signing House Bill 473, legislation creating a clean energy grant program for solar, wind, geothermal and energy efficiency projects.
“We want to thank Governor Perdue for helping support the economy, create jobs and protect the environment by signing this law, “ said Jason Rooks, President of Clean Energy Strategies LLC. “These incentives will help Georgia companies invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy, thus reducing their operational costs and making them more competitive.”
“We applaud Representative Ben Harbin, the sponsor of the bill, as well as Representative Margaret Kaiser and Senator David Shafer and Senator Doug Stoner for their hard work to shepherd the bill through the legislative process.”
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ABOUT Clean Energy Strategies, LLC. Clean Energy Strategies is a public affairs consulting company specializing in environmental and conservation issues. Principal, Jason Rooks, was Executive Director of Georgia Conservation Voters for six years, overseeing statewide political and public education programs related to conservation issues. Mr. Rooks has extensive experience with media relations and political fundraising.
STATE OF GEORGIA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
Sonny Perdue
GOVERNOR
For Immediate Release Contact: Office of Communications (404) 651-7774
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 Shane Hix, GEFA, (404) 584-1043/(404) 713-7850
Governor Perdue Signs Clean Energy Grant Legislation
ATLANTA – On Earth Day 2009, Governor Sonny Perdue signed House Bill 473, legislation creating a commercial clean energy grant program for solar, wind, energy efficiency and geothermal heat pump projects. The grant program will be administered by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) and is contingent upon the availability of federal stimulus dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
“HB 473 provides Georgia companies with additional incentives for investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” said Governor Perdue. “These clean energy grants will also help the private sector meet the state’s goal of reducing energy consumption by 15 percent.”
HB 473 will be administered by GEFA under similar terms and conditions of the current Clean Energy Property Tax Credit (HB 670) passed last year. Quality standards, such as Energy Star criteria for geothermal heat pumps and a high efficiency standard (exceeding ASHRAE 90.1.2004 by 30 percent) for lighting and buildings, determine eligibility for the grant program. The grants will be available on a first come, first served basis; installation of the qualifying clean energy property must be completed before a grant application can be submitted. The maximum grant for each applicant is limited to the lesser of 35 percent of the cost of the clean energy property or the statutory caps.
While HB 473 authorizes Georgia to use ARRA funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy grants to non-residential consumers, the state will not know whether this is possible or how much will be available until its application for recovery funds is reviewed this summer by the U.S. Department of Energy. GEFA is expected to receive a total of approximately $82.5 million for the State Energy Program through ARRA, which will support many other efforts in addition to HB 473.
Governor Perdue has committed all state agencies to reduce energy consumption per square foot in state facilities 15 percent below FY2007 levels by 2020. To further ensure that Georgia’s natural resources are protected for future generations to use and to enjoy, the Governor also challenged Georgia’s citizens, businesses and local governments to match the state’s effort. Meeting this goal will reduce Georgia’s dependence on traditional energy sources, support the economy, and improve the environment.
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Friday, April 10, 2009
Stimulus money to aid clean energy projects
Atlanta Business Chronicle - by Dave Williams Staff writer
Clean energy entrepreneurs in Georgia are anticipating a heftier boost from the new federal economic stimulus than their industry received from a state tax credit program launched last year.
Legislation passed overwhelmingly during the just-concluded General Assembly session authorizes companies to apply to the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) for grants to help pay for solar energy, wind energy and energy-efficiency projects.
The money will come from $82.5 million in federal stimulus funds allocated to Georgia through the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program.
Although GEFA officials haven’t decided how much of that pot to earmark for the grants, it’s certain to be more than the $2.5 million in annual clean-energy income tax credits approved by Georgia lawmakers last year.
“We’re real excited about it,” said Jason Rooks, president of Clean Energy Strategies LLC of Avondale Estates, who helped lead the push for the bill. “I think it’s going to really stimulate a lot of solar projects in this state.”
GEFA spokesman Shane Hix said the legislation limits the federal grants to business applicants, an effort to steer homeowners toward the state income tax credits.
Rooks said the state program doesn’t provide enough funding for large commercial projects and, thus, is more suitable to residential projects.
“Two and a half million dollars should be a decent pot of money for residential installation,” he said.
James Marlow, CEO of Atlanta’s Radiance Energies LLC, said the new grant program will help many businesses more than tax credits, which don’t do as much good during a recession.
“Say you’re having a bad year, your business is off and you don’t have much tax liability,” he said. “It’s better to get a check than a tax credit.”
Under the legislation, businesses could receive grants worth either 35 percent of the project’s cost or a fixed cap, whichever is less.
The cap will be set at $500,000 for projects involving photovoltaic cells, other solar thermal electric applications, active space heating or wind equipment.
Grants for projects involving solar heating or geothermal heat pump systems, lighting retrofits or other energy-efficient building products will be capped at $100,000.
Credits will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and a project must be installed before an application can be submitted.
Hix said GEFA is developing rules for the program, which must be submitted to the Department of Energy by May 12. At that point, the agency will announce how much of the $82.5 million will be used for the clean energy grants and what will go toward other purposes, he said.
“We have to balance how much is going to go to state facilities and to a revolving loan fund we want to have as well,” he said.
Hix said GEFA received a total of $236.1 million in federal stimulus funds for energy programs. Besides the State Energy Program allocation, the agency got $124 million for weatherization projects for low-income and elderly homeowners, $21.6 million in block grants for energy-efficient building projects at local government facilities and $8 million for an energy-efficient appliance rebate program.