ARC Announces Second Round of Competition for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grants

April 2008


 

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2008—The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) announced the second round of a grant competition this week to assist Appalachian communities in leveraging renewable-energy and energy-efficiency resources to revitalize their economies. ARC expects to provide eight to ten awards of up to $75,000 each, for a total of $500,000 in awards, to help communities implement new energy strategies.

Eligible projects should result in the creation of new jobs or businesses in the targeted communities. Outcomes could include:

This grant program will not provide support for projects that propose to study or plan for future activities. Energy audits will not be supported unless they include implementation of energy-efficiency programs.

Nonprofit organizations, governmental entities, and public educational institutions located within the Appalachian Region are eligible to apply. Private, for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply.

An independent review panel will evaluate submissions. The panel will include leading energy-efficiency and renewable-energy organizations, and ARC federal, state, and local partners. The review panel will forward recommendations to ARC for final approval.

Applications will be evaluated on several criteria, including:

The first round of the grant competition, held last year, saw grants totaling $605,000 awarded to 12 winners from 10 Appalachian states for projects promoting energy-efficient buildings, biofuels production and distribution, clean energy incubators, geothermal heat systems, landfill gas collection and distribution, LED traffic light installation, wind energy production, and energy-related education and training. Information on these projects is available at www.arc.gov/energy.

The deadline for submission of proposals is June 30, 2008. Selections will be announced on July 31, 2008. Information on submitting an application is available at www.arc.gov/energy.