Descripción

Note: The program documents do not specifically define eligible renewable or clean energy technologies. The technologies listed above are defined as eligible renewables under the New York renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

This initiative is designed to help clean energy businesses achieve success, to grow, and to develop new markets through new or expanded activities in New York. It will provide clean energy business projects with grants of up to 50% of a project’s cost, with a maximum of $200,000 per project. The program is funded through the state’s System Benefits Charge (SBC). A total of $6.4 million is available for five rounds of funding, although any or all project funds may be allocated during any one round. Proposals for the first round were due March 4, 2009, with subsequent deadlines at roughly 5 month intervals through November 3, 2010.

The definition of "clean energy" includes systems or components that generate electricity from renewable sources, as well as technologies for energy efficiency in the power generation, energy storage, transportation, industrial, or building sectors that use alternative fuels or reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and provide environmental benefits. Possible project goals may include, but are not limited to: launching new products and services; accelerating sales growth of existing products and services; financing new business ventures; or developing new business infrastructure and relationships.

Although the eligibility requirements of this program are generally fairly broad, the following restrictions do exist:

• Technologies must be commercial or near commercial. The program will not fund technology development or R&D projects;
• Proposers must be businesses with operations in New York State seeking to initiate new operations or expand existing ones or businesses outside the state willing to open operations in New York; and
• Proposed business operations must be located within the service territories of Consolidated Edison of New York, Central Hudson Gas & Electric, New York State Gas & Electric, National Grid, Orange and Rockland Utilities, or Rochester Gas and Electric (i.e., utilities in the SBC program).

For more detailed information, consult Program Opportunity Notice (PON) 1260 on the website at the top of this page.