| Renewable Energy Grant: CREFF |
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| Community Renewable Energy Feasibility Fund (CREFF) |
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Thinking of a renewable energy project in your community?
Photo courtesy of D.A. Black 
The Community Renewable Energy Feasibility Fund, or CREFF, is a grants program that funds feasibility studies for renewable energy, heat, and fuel projects in Oregon.
The fund is administered by the Oregon Department of Energy with two goals:
- Encourage widespread adoption of renewable energy projects that reduce Oregon’s dependence on fossil-based energy sources.
- Promote sustainable economic development within the state.
Review the 2009 CREFF Progress Report for a program overview and awards to date.
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| Eligibility Requirements |
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To be eligible to apply for a CREFF grant, you must meet the following essential criteria:
- You must request funds for a feasibility study for renewable energy, heat, and fuel projects. (To be sure you qualify, review a definition of renewable energy under ORS 470.050 27(a). and ORS 469.185 (12)(a).)
- If you are proposing an electricity-producing project, the project must generate between 25 kW and 10 MW.
- Anyone can apply. If you are a municipal entity, please be aware of a similar grants program, the Renewable Energy Feasibility Fund (REFF), available exclusively to you.
- You must have matching funds of at least 25% of the study’s cost. In-kind contributions may count toward this cost-sharing requirement, but no more than half (50%) of the match may come from in-kind sources. Funds from other state agencies cannot count toward the match.
- Your project must benefit Oregon’s communities and energy customers. A successful application will propose studying a project that employs best practices, minimizes its environmental footprint, and makes economic sense. See typical application problems and types of feasibility studies listed below.
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| Awards |
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The maximum award for any proposal is $50,000, and no more than 75%. Proposals that leverage other non-state funding sources are preferable. In the previous round, CREFF grants constituted only 35% of the total value of awarded projects.
Our target total disbursement for all awards in each round is $200,000. The grant cycle will occur twice a year. See our Schedule below.
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| How to Apply |
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Step 1:
Download and review the CREFF Request for Proposals (RFP) from the Oregon Procurement Information Network (ORPIN). (See Schedule for when we expect to issue an RFP.)
Step 2:
Consider applying to Energy Trust of Oregon for financial support for professional grant writing assistance. If you have questions, contact the Department at the contact information provided in the RFP; or attend a public webinar.
Step 3: Complete the application form enclosed in the RFP, and submit it by the deadline listed in the RFP.
Step 4: You will receive notification of the outcome of your application in two months from the application period closure.
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| Schedule |
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The next anticipated round of funding will begin in July 2010. Contact the project coordinator to receive a notice when the RFP becomes available.
The CREFF program solicited applications for community renewable energy feasibility study grants through March 1, 2010. The application period is now closed. (You may view a copy of the RFP as it was published on January 27, 2010.)
The Department of Energy sponsored a webinar on February 9, 2010 to answer application questions. Review a copy of the presentation here.
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| How to Be a Successful Applicant: Avoiding Common Problems |
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The following project attributes are important eligibility points for CREFF grants. Please review these points to ensure that your project qualifies:
- Your project must generate new renewable energy, heat, or fuel. CREFF grants will not be awarded for efficiency measures.
- Your project must be site-specific, as opposed to regional surveys.
- CREFF grants do not fund technology research and development.
- CREFF grants are very unlikely to fund “pilot” projects with untested technologies.
- You must have a minimum match of 25% of your total project cost. State funds cannot count toward your 25% match. In-kind services can count toward your match, but no more than half of your match can come from in-kind sources.
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| What is a Qualifying Feasibility Study? |
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A feasibility study is a site-specific study of a renewable energy project that addresses the essential question of whether or not a project is possible and likely to take place.
Examples of eligible feasibility studies may include:
- Initial energy resource assessments
- Siting and permitting requirements
- Environmental impact assessments
- Transmission and interconnection issues
- Ownership structure and funding mechanisms
- Project costs and economic viability
- Financial incentives
- Available output contracts and price
- Fatal flaw analysis
Your project may be in the first stages of determining what is possible at a given site, or it may be a fully scoped project idea with a specific feasibility issue. Both of these feasibility needs are eligible under the CREFF program.
For a general sense of what is addressed in a feasibility study, please see our sample outline or the sample Renewable Resource Project Business Plan. We welcome suggestions for additions to this outline.
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| Key Points to Know if You are Awarded a CREFF Grant |
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If you are awarded a grant, congratulations! In the last round, less than 20% of eligible projects received funding. The CREFF process is very competitive, but we encourage everyone with eligible projects to apply.
The study you produce with a CREFF grant will be owned by the Department of Energy. If your project is ultimately developed and successfully generates revenue, you will be asked to return the seed money from the CREFF grant. By paying back the grant amount, the CREFF program will become a revolving fund and continue to offer grants to foster more renewable energy projects in Oregon.
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| Contact and Email List |
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To reach the Department of Energy about the CREFF, or to join the email announcement list, please contact the Community Renewable Energy Feasibility Fund coordinator:
Rebecca Sherman
Direct line: 503/373-2120
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