KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Solar Institute (TSI) today announced it will begin accepting requests for applications (RFA) for a second round of its Solar Installation Grant Program. This round of funding is made possible by the movement of unused Solar Innovation Grant funds into the Solar Installation Grant Program. A total of approximately $1.15 million in Solar Installation grants will be distributed to companies on a first come, first served basis.
Award recipients may receive up to $105,000 in reimbursement funds for a solar installation, with the award based on project size. As part of this round, eligible projects will be limited to a maximum of 60 kW. The program is open to profit and non-profit businesses in Tennessee.
Businesses responded quickly to the first round of the Solar Installation Grant Program. Released in June 2010, the first round closed after just three months, awarding over $9 million to 125 applicants across the state to help install solar power at their respective places of business. All told, the program helped establish more than 5.4 MW of clean solar-generating capacity across the state.
“The response to the first round of Solar Installation grants confirms the statewide demand for renewable energy” said Dr. John Sanseverino, Director of Programs at TSI. “This RFA will generate a large and quick response. The time to review, conduct, and inspect projects will be short; projects need to be shovel ready and have all other funding in place.”
This second round of installation grants is the fourth grant opportunity made available by TSI through the $23.5 million Solar Opportunity Fund. Designed to speed the deployment of renewable energy resources, the Solar Opportunity Fund is part of the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Detailed information and application materials for the Solar Installation Grant Program are available on the TSI website, solar.tennessee.edu. Applications for the Solar Installation Grant Program will be accepted beginning August 15, 2011. When the program is fully subscribed and no longer accepting applications for Solar Installation grants, TSI will retain any remaining qualified applications, should a grantee elect not to proceed with a project or fail to meet grant program guidelines.
The Tennessee Solar Institute is part of the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, a comprehensive solar energy and economic development program that was established using $62.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 funding received by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy under Award Number DE-EE0000160.
Funding Source: CDFA 81.041
Tags: Tennessee Solar Institute