Demand Response and Building Automation Grant Program

This program is no longer active. Information below is purely for historical reference.

MEA will provide grants to support projects that leverage state of the art power controls, communication, and building automation technologies that participate in Demand Response markets or programs. Successful projects should feature a systems approach to building energy management systems that can quickly receive, interpret, and react to signals from PJM markets and/or the utility in the region.

Historical Information

Goals and Incentives

MEA is interested in supporting the deployment projects that leverage stateoftheart power controls, communication and building automation technologies to participate in demand response markets or programs. These systems should test innovative businessmodels that can offer benefits to building owners and/or the electric distribution system. MEA's Demand Response and Building Automation Grant Program objectives are to support innovative companies that deploy demand side resources that can lower the cost of providing energy, while demonstrating the economics of building intelligence and automation. All of these activities contribute to the larger objective of developing a more resilient and costeffective energy system, focusing peak demand times – when energy is most expensive.

In the past, up to $2.5 million in funding were available for awards expected to be in the range of $100,000 to $500,000 per project. MEA applicants' costshare were to be at least 50 percent, with MEA covering up to 50 percent of project costs.

Background

This program is no longer active. the inforamtion below is for historical reference.

Project Requirements

MEA will make these awards for innovative projects that offer the best opportunity for wide scale, cost effective replication of dynamic energy projects. The successful projects should contribute to the economic, resilient and sustainable development of the electric grid – offering narrative and insight for the energy projects of the future. Preference will be given to projects that advance Maryland’s policy goal to deploy technologies that qualify for the Renewable Portfolio Standard and reduce per capita electricity consumption in the State.

Demand Response and Building Automation Program will focus on the development of projects that will act as a replicable model. This means successful projects will appropriately balance the goals of resiliency, cost effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and maximum benefit to the State.

The following costs are eligible for Demand Response and Building Automation Grants:

Direct Digital Controls;
Building energy management systems;
Networking equipment and software;
Required wiring, including installation costs;
Communications and control infrastructure;
Automated machinery or appliances;
Occupancy sensors, photosensors, current sensors, etc.
Hardware or software related to the collection and interpretation of energy data, especially in realtime or nearreal time;
Userfriendly interfaces that inform and engage facility occupants in the project;
Information technology and communication network security hardware, software orservices;
Energy storage technologies (up to 1/3 of total MEA grant funding);
Any other costs deemed integral to the project’s development as determined by the evaluators.

The following costs are ineligible for Demand Response and Building Automation Grants:

Generation equipment, including but not limited to:

Solar PV panels;
Wind turbines;
Biomass CHP generators;
Natural gas CHP generators;
Fuel cells;
Geothermal heating and cooling systems;

Ductwork or other HVAC equipment;
Costs incurred for proposal drafting orsubmission;
Land acquisition.

Necessary project costs deemed “ineligible” for grant funding will need to be furnished by the project developer and will be considered as inkind contributions to the applicant’s cost share.

MEA expects to offer funding to projects with a variety ofsizes, applications, technologies and costs. MEA will assess applications for Demand Response and Building Automation Program using the following evaluation criteria:

Archived Information

This program is not active, information below is for historical information.

Evaluation Criteria

Threshold Requirements

The project must leverage cutting edge demand response technology, especially advanced communication protocols, intelligent building automation systems, direct digital controls, distributed energy resources, etc.
The applicant must have a proven trackrecord of developing successful and costeffective energy projects that demonstrate experience in DSR, distributed generation or PJM energy markets.

Evaluative Criteria

Probability that the project will be successfully commissioned and reliably operated;
Ability of the project to significantly participate in demand response markets;
Project’s capability to receive, interpret, and shed load in response to both economic and emergency signals from PJM or local Electric Distribution Companies (EDCs);
Project’s potential to inform and develop future economic DSR projects;
Successful maximization of enduser engagement and education;
Applicant costshare;
Commitment of project developer to work with state entities to identify opportunities and barriers that will result in future projects;
Strength and experience of applicant team;
Visibility or potential impact of a successful project that could lead other interested parties to invest in similar projects;
Strength of annual performance measurement data and life cycle analysis that will be made available to MEA;
Applicable market segment;

More details on project requirements, including eligibility criteria, a timeline, and evaluation criteria are available in the funding opportunity announcement.

The Demand Response and Building Automation Grant Program is no longer accepting Applications as of February 19, 2015.