The Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is pleased to announce that the FY23 Resilient Maryland Program is now accepting applications.
Donor Name: Maryland Energy Administration (MEA)
State: Maryland
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 01/16/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000,000
Details:
FY23 Resilient Maryland is a comprehensive distributed energy resource (DER) system development and installation incentive program that provides funds to Maryland communities and organizations to offset the costs of planning, designing, and constructing microgrids, resilient facility power systems, and resiliency hubs. The FY23 program integrates the previous Resilient Maryland Planning, Resilient Maryland Capital Development, and Resiliency Hub Grant Programs into one framework to centralize State resiliency planning efforts and create an array of incentives to assist projects from conception through installation and operation.
Program Purpose: Resilient Maryland is provided to help Maryland communities and organizations identify optimal microgrid and other DER configurations to bolster the resilience, sustainability, energy affordability, and efficiency of their essential facilities and operations and safeguard them from the harmful effects of prolonged power outages. The FY23 program seeks projects that pursue creative solutions and innovations that create replicable and scalable DER system models, enhance energy equity for Maryland communities that experience vulnerabilities and challenges, and provide power for key community locations to serve as resiliency hubs.
Resilient Maryland Program provides funding under three (3) Areas of Interest (AOIs), which are briefly explained in the list below.
- AOI 1: Feasibility and Planning
- This AOI provides funds for feasibility analysis and other preconstruction activities for the planning and development of microgrids, resilient facility power systems, and resiliency hubs.
- AOI 2: Microgrid Capital
- This AOI provides capital for equipment and installation to help offset the costs of constructing microgrids and other DER systems.
- AOI 3: Resiliency Hubs:
- This AOI provides capital for equipment and installation to help offset the costs of constructing solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage systems to provide essential power to facilities that serve as resiliency hubs for their surrounding communities.
Funding Information
A total of up to $2.7 million is anticipated to be available, split between each AOI.
- AOI 1: A total of $400,000 is anticipated to be available, from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (“SEIF”). The amount awarded may be more or less depending on the quantity and quality of applications received.
- AOI 2: A total of $1,500,000 is anticipated to be available. The amount awarded may be more or less, depending on the quantity and quality of applications received. Individual Awards are not expected to exceed $1,000,000 per project.
- AOI 3: A total of $500,000 is expected to be available, from the Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF). The amount awarded may be more or less, depending on the quantity and quality of applications received. Individual Awards are not expected to exceed $500,000 per project.
Eligible Applicants
AOI 1: Feasibility and Planning
AOI 1 is open to Maryland public and private entities with facilities located within the State of Maryland. Generally, these include but are not limited to the following:
- Businesses
- Nonprofit organizations
- State government departments and agencies
- Local governments
- Critical infrastructure facilities
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities
- Multifamily housing
- Agriculture and food production/supply chain
- Hotels and hospitality
Regional planning organizations Individual Maryland residents are not eligible for Resilient Maryland grants, however qualifying sole proprietorship agricultural operations are eligible to apply.
AOI 2: Microgrid Capital
AOI 2 is open to Maryland public and private entities with facilities located within the State of Maryland that will be served by the proposed project. Eligible organizations must be registered to do business in, or have authority to operate within, the State of Maryland. Generally, these include but are not limited to the following:
- Businesses
- Nonprofit organizations
- State government departments and agencies
- Local governments
- Critical infrastructure facilities
- Hospitals and healthcare facilities
- Multifamily housing
- Agriculture and food production/supply chain
- Hotels and hospitality
- Regional planning organizations
- Utilities, Cooperatives and Municipal Utilities implementing microgrids to improve community resilience for specific, localized energy resilience needs and shortfalls. Funds cannot be used to supplement wider-scale distribution system planning/investment efforts and projects, or for research and development projects that provide a competitive advantage)
AOI 3: Resiliency Hubs:
- Maryland businesses, non-profits, state agencies, local governments, public universities, community colleges, and public schools within the State of Maryland. Eligible organizations must be registered to do business in, or have authority to operate within, the State of Maryland.
- Individual Maryland residents are not eligible for Resilient Maryland grants, however qualifying sole proprietorship agricultural operations are eligible to apply. To be considered “qualifying,” the sole proprietorship must be up-todate filling its IRS Form Schedule F, and filing its Nutrient Management Plan with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. MEA may ask for copies of one or both of these documents for eligibility verification.
- A project may be owned by the project site owner, or the project may be owned by a third party that installs and operates the project at the project site and provides the benefit of the project to the project site owner (e.g., under a power purchase agreement, lease, etc.). In any case, both the site owner and the system owner must be an applicant (i.e., sign the application) and, if awarded, a grantee (i.e., sign the grant agreement). Funding under an award will be provided directly to the applicant that has requested to receive the funds on the application form, with the exception of state agencies and units of local government, in which case funds will be awarded directly to the state agency or local government.
For more information, visit Resilient Maryland Program.
