Frequently Asked Questions Updated 1-‐5-‐15 Revisions are highlighted What is Solar Uniting Neighbors? Solar United Neighbors is a financial incentive program to design and administer solar photovoltaic (PV) installations in Indiana. The grant funding will be used to create and deploy a program of financial assistance to fund small renewable energy projects (less than 0.5 megawatts) located on customer premises that are eligible for net metering or similar interconnection arrangements. The program is funded by settlement funds received by a collection of five Indiana-‐
affiliated not-‐for-‐profits including Citizens Action Coalition, Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana Wildlife Federation, The Environmental Law and Policy Center, and The Sierra Club. The program is being administered by the Indiana Association for Community Economic Development (IACED) and Sustainable Catalyst Partners (SCP), on behalf of a committee of the not-‐for-‐profits. For more information, see Inside Indiana Business: http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=66433&utm_content=bu
fferf3839&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer What are the program goals? The program aims to deliver capacity building through community workshops and various direct financial incentives, which may include grants, loans, loss reserves, and solar tax credit syndication models to create long-‐term value for the local community. Goals of the program include: -‐ Leverage investments in solar panels by project sponsors in the Indiana Michigan Power territory. -‐ Remove capital cost barriers to the acquisition and installation of solar photovoltaics. -‐ Lower energy costs for transformative community economic development projects. -‐ Generate cost off-‐setting energy credits for surplus electricity production. -‐ Create thought leaders in the benefits of solar energy capture (community sustainability and resiliency) and build capacity for solar PV in Indiana Michigan Power service area communities. Building Capacity for Energized Community Development [email protected] The Solar Uniting Neighbors program will focus on lowering the barriers to entry for solar installation. The program will provide resources, instill knowledge, and model good project design for local community economic development organizations. Who is eligible to apply for these funds? Eligible recipients must be electric customers of American Electric Power within the Indiana-‐Michigan Power service territory. For a map of this territory, see below. Eligible projects must be located within the Indiana portion of the I&M service territory. Recipients of the Hoosier Interfaith Power & Light (HIPL) grant fund from the same settlement agreement as the SUN Program grant funds are not eligible to receive SUN Program grant funds. Receipt of grant funds from other sources (USDA REAP funds, for example) does not disqualify potential applicants from receiving SUN grant funds. Funded projects will be ones that are ripe for development, financially viable, and strengthen the capacity of participating organizations to deploy solar PV. Solar Uniting Neighbors will strive for solar PV projects, which create the advantages of developing local expertise and capacity for undertaking more solar investment. Building Capacity for Energized Community Development [email protected] How do I apply? Program administrators will convene a series of Community Workshops in the target area to highlight successful solar projects, which meet the goals of the program. Interested applicants are urged to attend one of these workshops. See below for dates, times, and locations for the Community Workshops: COMMUNITY SOLAR WORKSHOP for MUNCIE Monday, October 27th -‐ 8:30 – 11:30am Hosted by: EcoREHAB of Muncie Sponsored by: Muncie Human Rights Office Location: Maring-‐Hunt Library 2005 S. High Street, Muncie, Indiana 47302 REGISTER HERE: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event ?llr=sude6qbab&oeidk=a07e9wek0zmf3882e09 COMMUNITY SOLAR WORKSHOP for FORT WAYNE Monday, October 27th -‐ 2:00 – 5:00pm Hosted by: Community Action of Northeast Indiana (CANI) 227 E Washington Blvd, Fort Wayne, IN 46802 Room 302a/b on the 3rd floor REGISTER HERE: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event ?llr=sude6qbab&oeidk=a07e9wew16xb5ccc262 COMMUNITY SOLAR WORKSHOP for SOUTH BEND Tuesday, October 28 – 9:00am – 12:00pm Sponsored by and hosted by The DoubleTree Hilton 123 North St. Joseph Street, South Bend, IN 46601 Ballroom Salon A – Second Floor REGISTER HERE: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event ?llr=sude6qbab&oeidk=a07e9weyeyx8c3759a4 The Community Solar Workshops are FREE, but attendees are asked to register before October 25, 2014 by clicking on the registration links above. To download the Workshop Packet, which includes presentations, handout materials, and participant contact information, visit: https://www.dropbox.com/s/koy27q1d6d5oees/SUN%20WORKSHOP%20PACKE
T.pdf?dl=0 Building Capacity for Energized Community Development [email protected] Following the Community Workshop, interested applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Interest proposing the use of financial incentives. In the two-‐
page Letter of Interest, potential project sponsors will 1.) outline project concepts, 2.) describe partners, 3.) outline funding strategies, and 4.) define how the project will meet program requirements, including matching funds. It is anticipated financial incentives from the Solar Uniting Neighbors program will account for no more than 50 percent of total capital costs or $30,000 – whichever is less. Potential project applicants will have a minimum of 45 days to complete and submit the letter of interest following the SUN Community Solar Workshops. Submitting an LOI is not required in order to submit a proposal, but applicants are strongly encouraged to do so. Letters of Interest are used to gauge interest in the SUN Program and provide a means for facilitating communication between the SUN Program Technical Assistance team and potential applicants during the RFP response period. Applicants need not wait to be invited to submit a proposal. Submitting an LOI automatically permits applicants to submit a proposal. All organizations submitting a letter of interest will have an opportunity to submit a response to a Request for Proposals (RFP). The RFP Guidelines and Requirements are available on the IACED website here: http://www.iaced.org/2014/12/solar-‐
united-‐neighbors-‐sun-‐request-‐for-‐proposals-‐is-‐available/ Applicants will have at least 90 days to respond to the full RFP. Program administrators will facilitate connections to expertise to address both adaptive and technical questions during the RFP response period. Questions during the RFP response period must be directed via email to [email protected]. Answers will be provided promptly, and questions of general applicability will be addressed in updates to this document. This FAQ document will be periodically updated and posted to the IACED website during the RFP response period, with updated postings announced via IACED’s social media pages. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/INCommDev?fref=nf and Twitter: https://twitter.com/INCommDev Building Capacity for Energized Community Development [email protected] The anticipated timeline for the application process is: October 27-‐28, 2014: Community Solar Workshops December 1, 2014: RFP Requirements available December 15, 2014: Letter of Interest Due April 30, 2015*: Request for Proposals (RFP) Due *This is a hard deadline – no extensions or late proposals accepted May 1 – June 15, 2015: Requests for Proposals Reviewed June 15, 2015: Awards announced (tentative) June 15, 2015 – December 15, 2015 (and beyond as necessary): Recipients report progress monthly What are recipients required to do after receiving funds? (This section updated to mirror RFP Requirements and Guidelines document) Award recipients are required to provide monthly progress reports to SUN Program Administrators following receipt of funds up until the date the awarded solar project is installed, online and operational. The monthly report must be submitted via email to [email protected] and include the following information: -‐ Updates on energy conservation measures taken by the applicant on its facilities -‐ Progress related to its agreements with contractors, utilities, manufacturers, maintenance providers -‐ Progress on the solar installation including anticipated operational date -‐ Education and community benefit activities and progress -‐ Media coverage updates For one year following the date the awarded project is installed, online and operational, award recipients are required to submit quarterly reports outlining monthly energy usage and solar energy production to SUN Program Administrators via email to [email protected]. Who do I contact for more information? All Solar Uniting Neighbors email inquiries: [email protected] Program Manager Sustainable Catalyst Partners LLC (SCP) Allyson P. Mitchell President www.scp-‐llc.com Building Capacity for Energized Community Development [email protected]