Advanced Energy Fund

The Advanced Energy Fund is a public benefit fund administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency. The Advanced Energy Fund is not currently being actively lent. Instead, the Advanced Energy Loan fund assets are used to fill other actively lending funds such as the Energy Loan Fund.

History

Ohio's Advanced Energy Fund was originally authorized by the state's 1999 electric restructuring legislation. The Fund supports the Advanced Energy Program, which at different times has provided grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects to different economic sectors. Grant and loan funds are awarded through periodic Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) which may each focus on specific technologies or economic sectors.

In 2012, S.B. 315 transferred funds from the Advanced Energy Research and Development Taxable Fund and the Advanced Energy Research and Development Fund to the Advanced Energy Fund and allowed the Advanced Energy Fund to award loans in addition to grants.

Additional income may accrue to the Advanced Energy Fund from alternative compliance payments (ACPs) associated with Ohio's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard or Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, but historically the vast majority of utilities have meet compliance goals, thus negating the need for an alternative compliance payment.

Ohio's 1999 restructuring legislation also created the Public Benefits Advisory Board, a multi-stakeholder panel that assists the ODSA in administering the Fund, and the Universal Service Board. The ODSA collaborates with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to design and develop energy programs. Incentives are available to residents, low-income housing developers, businesses, industry, local governments, schools, nonprofits and farms. Participation in the Fund by electric cooperatives and municipal utilities is voluntary. Because no electric cooperatives or municipal utilities are participating, customers of these utilities are not eligible for Fund incentives. For information on current opportunities please consult the program web site.