Maryland Energy Administration

Windswept Grant Program

Program Update January 7, 2010:

Davis-Bacon Act – prevailing wage requirement removed for residential installations:

On December 30, 2009 the US Department of Energy released a memo making a final determination that rebates to individual homeowners for energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to an individual’s home are no longer subject to Davis-Bacon Act prevailing wage requirements. As a result, applicants who are individual homeowners are no longer required to submit contractor’s payroll forms with their Completion Certificate (Attachment B) in order to receive a MEA Windswept grant.  Applicants who are registered businesses, organizations and/or government entities will still need to ensure that Davis-Bacon Act requirements are met and will have to produce certified payroll forms to be eligible for an MEA grant.

For more inforamtion please see: January 7th Update for Maryland Windswept Grant Program

Maryland Historic Trust:  

New ARRA guidelines mandate that all applicants for a Maryland Windswept Grant must have their proposed project approved by the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) to ensure that the project will have no adverse effect on properties deemed historically significant.  In order to receive a grant from MEA, an applicant’s proposed project must first past MHT review. For more information please review Maryland Historic Trust Review Guidance

National Environmental Policy Act:

If you wish to receive a Windswept grant for installation of a wind turbine with a rated capacity over 20 kW, please contact Andrew Gohn at 410-260-7190 or agohn@energy.state.md.us to discuss NEPA compliance.

Program Structure:

The MEA has implemented new program guidelines effective July 1, 2009 to further encourage the deployment of small-scale wind turbines throughout Maryland.   Any Windswept application received by MEA after July 1, 2009 will be subject to the following parameters:

MEA will no longer be basing grant calculations on the manufacturer’s rated capacity; instead grants will now be calculated based on a turbine’s expected performance at 11 meters per second (approximately 25 miles per hour). 

• $2,800 per kilowatt of normalized capacity for the first 5 kilowatts (normalized system capacity rated at wind speeds of 11 m/s) up to $14,000.
• An additional $2,100 per kilowatt of normalized capacity after 5 kilowatts.  Total grant allocation not to exceed $20,000.

Grant calculations for some common small wind turbines that have been installed in Maryland are listed below:

Note 1: Windswept grants will not cover more than 50 percent of the net cost of installation.  Net cost shall be calculated as the installation cost less any federal, county or local grants or tax credits.

Note 2: Grants will be allocated on a per-property basis.  Multiple grants will not be issued for multiple turbines on the same property.

Note 3: To be eligible for a Windswept grant, systems must be 100kW or less, and also must be listed in either the California Energy Commission’s List of Eligible Small Wind Turbine or New York State Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) Qualified Small Wind Generators listing.     

For additional information, email meainfo@energy.state.md.us or call 1-800-72ENERGY.   

How to Apply:

Follow Checklist before submitting application

• Complete, sign, and date the Pre-Qualification Form
• Complete, sign, and date the 2-page Application Form
• Review, sign, and date Windswept Grant Program Terms and Conditions Revised Jan 2010 as well as read the ARRA Addendum – Special Terms and Conditions for ARRA-Funded Grants Revised Jan 2010 . 
• Complete the Maryland Historical Trust Project Review Form (only if property is located within a Historic District or structure is more than 50 years old)
• Signed cost estimate, purchase order, or letter of intent from your installer (If you are performing a self-install you will still need to fill this requirement)
• Itemized list of components
• Site map exhibiting the location of the proposed turbine on the property demonstrating area topography, elevation, and any nearby structures (image from Google Earth/Maps, or digital/print photograph is preferable, will also satisfy MHT review supporting documentation)
•  Preliminary wind analysis - please demonstrate one of the following:
  • -Site average wind speed in either miles per hour or meters per second recorded at a height of 30m or (100ft)
  • -Site latitude and longitude (property address can be used)

Allocation of Grants:

If you have already submitted an application, but have yet to receive grant approval please contact MEA at meainfo@energy.state.md.us or call 1-800-72ENERGY.  Please note, that grant approvals will only be dispersed after MEA receives a signed and dated Grant Program Terms and Conditions signifying that you fully understand the ARRA Addendum – Special Terms and Conditions for ARRA-Funded Grants, as well as passed Maryland Historical Trust review.

Information for Installers

In order for applicants to be eligible for funding for the remainder of the current fiscal year, applicants (if a business, organization or government entity) must demonstrate that their installation were or will be performed in compliance with Davis-Bacon Act requirements. 

Contractors or subcontractors must generate certified prevailing-wage rate/payroll documents to be submitted along with an applicant’s Completion Certificate (Attachment B). For an example of an acceptable form please see: http://www.dol.gov/esa/whd/forms/wh347.pdf. For instructions on how to complete certified prevailing-wage rate/payroll form please see: http://www.dol.gov/whd/forms/wh347instr.htm.

In addition, MEA has expanded its Completion Certificate (Attachment B) to include mandatory reporting requirements, which MEA will need to submit to the federal government on a monthly basis.  Some of these additional requirements are:

1. Applicant’s legal name, address and any “doing-business-as” (DBA) name;
2. Applicant’s congressional district (can be found at http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html);
3. All contractor and subcontractor names, addresses and DUNS numbers (to request a DUNS number please see http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform);
4. Project number assigned by contractor to the grant applicant (if applicable);
5. Project start date and installation date;
6. Number of Full-Time Employee Equivalents (FTEs) created or retained (for guidelines on how to calculate FTEs created/retained please read Guidelines for Jobs Reporting)
7. A description of the contractors and subcontractors services.

More Information:

• ARRA Compliance Frequently Asked Questions - Currently being updated
• Working With ARRA
• Guidelines for Jobs Reporting *NEW*

Technical Information

• Maryland Online Wind Calculator
• Small Wind Manufacturers, Distributors, Installers, & Resources
• Maryland Small Wind Electric Systems Consumer Guide
• American Wind Energy Association – Small Wind

• Pre-Qualification Form
• Application Form
• Maryland Historical Trust Project Review Form *NEW*

Terms and Conditions

• Revised Terms & Conditions (3 pages) ***Revised January 2010***

ARRA Information

• ARRA Addendum – Special Terms and Conditions for ARRA-Funded Grants ***Revised January 2010***

• Completion Certificate ***Revised January 2010***

• Federal Tax Credits
• Maryland Net Energy Metering Statute
• Clean Energy Production Tax Credit

• Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program
• American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) - Small Wind Toolbox
• Windustry
• DOE Energy Savers Tip