How Is the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Matching Consumers’ Payments?
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative ( MTC)'s CLEAN ENERGY CHOICESM program is matching consumer purchases with clean energy grants for each consumer’s community. In addition, MTC is providing an equal amount of funding for clean energy projects that benefit the State’s low-income residents. MTC will provide up to $2.5 million in matching funding annually.
How Is the Matching Amount Determined?
For every dollar a consumer spends on renewables through the CLEAN ENERGY CHOICESM program, MTC will match it two ways:
- Up to one dollar will go to the consumer's community for renewable energy educational materials or projects.
- Up to one additional dollar will go to low-income renewable and energy efficiency projects.
The greater the amount of new renewables purchased, the greater both these matches will be.
Special "MTC Bonus Matching Grant"
On March 30, 2006, MTC will award additional clean energy grant dollars to every town or city where 3% of households have signed up for Clean Energy Choice. A $50 per household one-time bonus grant will be awarded to every Massachusetts city or town where 3% of all households meet either of the following requirements:
1. The household has been enrolled in Clean Energy Choice since at least December 31, 2005; or
2. The household has purchased $50 in New England Wind renewable energy certificates by March 30, 2006.
Why Is the Match Linked to New Renewable Energy Certificates?
MTC believes that purchases of new renewable energy certificates, are more likely to expand the total supply of renewable energy than are purchases from older facilities. The percentage of new renewable energy certificates in a clean electricity offering is an important indicator of whether that choice will lead to public benefits. As a result, the MTC matching contributions to communities are proportional to the percentage of new renewable energy certificates purchased.
How Much Will Each Community Receive?
If, for example, a consumer pays $12 per month for renewable electricity and MTC matches 50%, MTC will provide $6 per month—$72 per year—to that consumer’s community and an additional $6 per month for low-income projects. As you can see below, this can quickly add up:
- If there are 10 participants each of whose purchases is matched $6 monthly, MTC will provide $720 each year to the community.
- If there are 25 participants, MTC will provide $1,800.
- If there are 100 participants, MTC will provide $7,200.
- If there are 300 participants, MTC will provide $21,600.
How Will the Matching Funds Be Distributed?
Every three months, MTC will let each municipal government know the amount of matching funding for which it is eligible. The local community can either decide to use the funding immediately or save it until more money has accumulated in the community’s account with MTC. For example, if a community is interested in getting a solar photovoltaic system for a school or library, valued at $18,000, it may decide to wait for a couple of years until it has accumulated enough matching funding to obtain that system. Up to $1.25 million will be distributed to communities each year.
Communities can choose to pool their funds with their neighbors for joint projects. For example, towns in a regional school district can combine their matching funds in order to receive a kit or solar panels for the regional high school.
What Renewable Energy Projects Can Be Paid for with Community Grants?
Each community (or groups of communities) can use its matching funding for any of the items below. A community can, over time, obtain multiple items off the list or can request the same item several times. For example, a town may choose to get educational kits for all of its middle schools.
Renewable Electricity Generating Equipment
- Portable solar panel with battery for powering appliances, lights, or other equipment outside. Communities can select a Solar Harvester ($1,500) or other comparable product.
- Solar lighting. A community can select outdoor solar-powered lighting for a municipal building, bus shelter, or park. The grant size would vary depending upon how much lighting is required , but could start as low as $100. An interesting solar lighting application is the So-Led Bus Shelter Security Lighting system which provides “targeted white security lighting without the need for trenching and wiring.” A community could select this or another comparable lighting package (approximately $3000).
Educational Materials and Activities
- Clean energy books, publications, and educational materials for a community’s schools or for a town/city library. The community can select from among more than 100 different publications and educational materials described in MTC’s Guide to Teaching Renewable Energy. Depending on what the community selects and how many copies of each are ordered, the value of this matching option could be any amount, starting with as little as $100.
- Bus rental so that students can visit a renewable energy site. MTC will provide funding to reimburse bus costs for any field trip that the community chooses to undertake.
Building Analysis and Improvements
- An energy modeling study analyzing the potential costs and economic benefits of incorporating various energy technologies and designs into an upcoming municipal green building project. Such a study could ultimately save the community tens of thousands of dollars in ongoing energy and building operating costs. MTC will provide grants of between $5,000 and $15,000 depending upon the scope of the building project. Communities will be able to select an energy modeling contractor from a pre-approved list of contractors.
Renewable Electricity Generating Equipment
- Portable solar panel with battery for powering appliances, lights, or other equipment outside. Communities can select a Solar Harvester ($1,500) or other comparable product.
- Solar lighting. A community can select outdoor solar-powered lighting for a municipal building, park, or garden. The grant size would vary depending upon how much lighting is required, but could start as low as $100.
- Data acquisition equipment for a solar photovoltaic system. This allows students and/or community members to see information about a system displayed on a computer in the building or on a website. They can observe how much electricity has been produced and how production varies with the weather, time of day, and season of the year. Depending upon which data acquisition product the community selects, the community would require a grant ranging from $2,500 to $10,000.
- A solar photovoltaic system for a municipal building or school. If a community chooses to install such a system, the city or town could then generate some of its own electricity and reduce the municipality’s electricity bills. The community could select the equipment and installer it would like to use. The community would require a grant of at least $12,000, but the amount would vary depending upon the size of the system. To learn more about solar electricity, click here.
Leverage towards Funding from Another Renewable Energy Trust
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative has several other programs for which municipalities can qualify. A municipality can apply a community matching grant to reduce the cost of one of those programs or, in effect, increase the size of a grant from one of those programs. For example, a community participating in the Community Wind Collaborative could apply a community matching grant towards the cost of a wind turbine.
How Will the Matching Funds to Benefit Low-Income Citizens Be Distributed?
Every six months, MTC will determine the amount of money available for projects that benefit low-income citizens. MTC will then announce the size of this matching fund and will issue an RFP asking organizations in the state to propose how they would use these funds for clean energy projects that benefit low-income residents of the state. With the help of a citizen review committee, MTC will select those proposals that hold the greatest likelihood of providing meaningful benefits to low-income residents.
Each year, up to $1.25 million will be used for clean energy projects that benefit low-income residents. We will ensure that these benefits are distributed equitably across the state and will make sure that, over time, these projects collectively reach low-income residents in all of the state’s counties. On an annual basis, MTC will post on our website a report describing the projects the CLEAN ENERGY CHOICESM program participants have helped to fund.
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