Stimulus money to aid clean energy projects - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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Legislation passed overwhelmingly duringthe just-conclude d General Assembly session authorizes companies to apply to the for grants to help pay for solar wind energy and energy-efficiencyy projects. The money will come from $82.5 million in federal stimuluds funds allocated to Georgia throughthe ’e State Energy Program. Although GEFA officials haven’t decidefd how much of that pot to earmark forthe it’s certain to be more than the $2.5 millioh in annual clean-energy income tax credits approved by Georgia lawmakerse last year.
“We’re real excited about said Jason Rooks, president of LLC of Avondaler Estates, who helped lead the push for the “I think it’s going to really stimulatew a lot of solar projecte inthis state.” GEFA spokesman Shane Hix said the legislation limitss the federal grants to businese applicants, an effort to steer homeownerss toward the state income tax credits. Rooks said the state prograk doesn’t provide enough funding for large commerciaplprojects and, thus, is more suitabl e to residential projects.
“Two and a half million dollars should be a decent pot of money forresidential installation,” he James Marlow, CEO of Atlanta’ds LLC, said the new grant program will help many businessesd more than tax credits, whicnh don’t do as much good during a recession. “Say you’re having a bad year, your businesas is off and you don’t have much tax liability,” he “It’s better to get a check than a tax Underthe legislation, businesses could receive grantas worth either 35 percent of the project’s cost or a fixerd cap, whichever is less.
The cap will be set at $500,00o for projects involving photovoltaic cells, othed solar thermal electric applications, activs space heating or wind Grants for projects involving solar heating or geothermal heatpump systems, lightiny retrofits or other energy-efficient building products will be cappes at $100,000. Credits will be awarded on a first-served basis, and a project must be installed before an application canbe submitted. Hix said GEFA is developinv rules forthe program, which must be submittex to the Department of Energy by May 12. At that the agency will announce how much ofthe $82.
5 millionh will be used for the clean energy grants and what will go towars other purposes, he said. “We have to balance how much is goin to go to state facilities and to a revolving loan fund we want to have as he said. Hix said GEFA received a totalpof $236.1 million in federal stimulus funds for energty programs. Besides the State Energy Program the agencygot $124 million for weatherization projectss for low-income and elderly homeowners, $21.
6 million in blocki grants for energy-efficient building project s at local government facilities and $8 milliohn for an energy-efficient appliance rebate