Update - October 2009
The reources below provide information and links to state and federal renewable and efficiency funding opportunities.
- Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), Ohio incentives and policies
- Ohio Department of Development, Ohio Energy Office - Advanced Energy Program/Fund
The information below is outdated and kept for archival purposes only.
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In early September 2006, the Ohio Department of Development’s (ODOD) Office of Energy Efficiency (OEE) announced the availability of $2.2 million in new Energy Loan Fund (ELF) monies.
The Energy Fund provides both grants and low-interest loans for the installation and use of renewable energy systems. Up to 10 percent of the $2.2 million ($220,000) is to be awarded as grants and the remainder of the funding is used to ‘buy-down’ interest rates on money borrowed to implement an energy-efficiency or renewable-energy project.
The ELF program was originally established in 1999 and since has awarded millions of dollars in funding to businesses and residential owners who employ solar and wind electric, solar thermal systems or other renewable energy systems.
In addition to the installation grants and loans, the OEE funds improvement aimed at increasing the energy efficiency of homes, businesses, institutions, and manufacturing facilities.
Qualifying Ohio residents must use approved financial vendors for the ELF loan program and in order to qualify for an ELF grant, applicants and projects must be located in the service territory of one of Ohio’s four investor-owned electrical utilities in order to be eligible: FirstEnergy, Dayton Power and Light (DP & L), American Electric Power (AEP), and Duke Energy (formerly CINergy).
Details about the ELF amounts and the new requirements and project applications are available online at: www.odod.state.oh.us/cdd/oee/elfgrant.htm.
Do renewable energy credits work?
Marc Lefkowitz Says:An interesting post on Gristmill about the use of renewable energy credits. A founder of TerraPass, a company where you pay to offset personal carbon emissions, argues that carbon offsets don't slow down current coal burning, but, if we pay a carbon sin tax that supports the creation of renewable energy, it might absorb some of the new energy demand and slow down the need for new coal or nuclear plants.