Solar & Battery Regulation & Incentive Programs

Mathias Agricultural Energy Efficiency Grant program

Program Overview


Category:
Financial Incentive
Program Type:
Grant Program
Implementing Sector:
State
State:
Maryland
Eligible Storage Technologies:
Solar Thermal Process Heat, Solar Photovoltaics, Wind (All), Biomass, Geothermal Heat Pumps, Dehumidifiers, Lighting, Chillers, Boilers, Heat pumps, Air conditioners, Building Insulation, Motors, Custom/Others pending approval
Website:
http://energy.maryland.gov/business/Pages/incentives/MathiasAg.aspx
Incentive Amount:
Energy Efficiency measures: 50% of the project costs after all other incentives and grants has been applied;
Renewable Energy measures: 25% of the cost
Must be done in conjunction with energy efficiency project. Energy efficiency portion of the grant must be at least 25% of the total grant award.
Maximum Incentive:
$150,000
Equipment Requirements:
000Minimum project cost is $20,000. Renewable energy projects must be done in conjunction with energy efficiency
Installation Requirements:
Renewable energy projects should be installed and operated in compliance of local and county codes, and must beet NEC standards
Solar PV must be UL 1741, UL1703 certified
Solar PV must be net metered
Administrator:
Maryland Energy Administration
Applicable Sectors:
Agricultural
Budget :
$650,000 for energy efficiency, $250,000 for renewable energy
Start Date:
10/19/2016
Expiration Date:
12/15/2016
Last Updated:
10/31/2016

Summary

NOTE: Applications for grants for FY2017 program are due by December 15, 2016. 

Mathias Agriculture Energy Efficiency program offered by the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) provides grants to farms and businesses in agricultural sector to offset 50% of the cost of energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades. Grant application must be submitted to the MEA by December 15, 2016. The MEA anticipates announcing grant winners in March or April of 2017. 

Eligibility

Program is open to farms and businesses in agricultural sector for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that have total cost of at least $20,000.  Examples may include, but not limited to dairy, orchard, poultry, greenhouse, processor, sawmill, aquaculture and others. Projects must save energy through installation of energy efficiency measures, or implement renewable energy in conjunction with energy efficiency measures. Projects that include only renewable energy measures are not eligible for funding. MEA has subcontracted EnSave to provide basic technical support to help identify potential projects and its energy savings. Contact information for EnSave is provided below.

Program Description

The program has a total budget of $900,000 for the fiscal year 2017, of which $650,000 is allocated for energy efficiency measures and $250,000 for renewable energy measures. The program offers grants up to 50% of the cost of energy efficiency projects and 25% of renewable energy projects, capped at $150,000. The project cost should be at least $20,000 to be considered for the program.  Examples of projects that would qualify under the program include whole building weatherization, efficient lighting, motor efficiency upgrades, wind, biomass, solar PV, methane digester and others.

Applications for the grants will be evaluated on various grounds including project feasibility, cost effectiveness, energy benefits, simple payback, best practices approach and others.

Please visit the program website for more information.