Application Tips for Open Solicitation Program

General Advice

• Be sure that you, and the project you have in mind, are eligible to apply for Energy Trust funding. See eligibility guidelines or call 1-866-368-7878.
• Be clear and concise. However, give us enough information to understand the scope of your proposal.
• We will review your proposal based on its content, not on other information that the Energy Trust staff may have about you or your project. Please respond completely to all questions asked in the application.

Scope of Work and Intended Impacts

• Clearly state your objectives, and break down the project into specific tasks that achieve your objectives in a logical way.
• Provide a realistic timetable.
• To the extent that you can, explain how the project helps meet the goals of Energy Trust’s Renewable Energy Open Solicitation program:
  1. Geographic diversity: Energy Trust seeks to assure that renewable projects occur throughout the Pacific Power and PGE service territories.
  2. Diverse applications: We seek to support a variety of technologies and project sizes.
  3. Multiple project benefits: Competitive projects will offer non-energy benefits, such as educational opportunity, increased in-state employment, and environmental protection or remediation.
  4. Market transformation: We seek projects that, in addition to supplying reliable clean energy, help build the market for renewable energy in Oregon in other ways, for example by demonstrating an effective application of renewable energy to new audiences, or building the in-state renewable energy business infrastructure.

Financial Structure

We need to ensure that projects funded by Energy Trust have a high chance of succeeding, and a high chance of continuing to provide Oregon citizens with clean energy reliably over the long term. We also seek to fund low-cost uses of renewable energy within each project size, technology type, and customer category. To help us meet those goals, we need a thorough understanding of your project’s financial structure.

Your Full Application should show all the itemized costs of completing the project. (Somewhat less information may be appropriate on your Initial Application.) These should include at least the following:

• Capital equipment costs
• Installation costs
• Interest and other financing costs
• Fuel costs, if any
• Routine operating and maintenance costs
• Insurance
• Major overhaul costs or replacement fund
• Contingency fund
• Taxes
• Other relevant costs

You should also describe all sources of finance or revenue. These should include at least the following:

• Debt
• State and Federal tax credits, benefits and incentives
• State, Federal and private grants
• Power sales
• Sale of other project outputs
• Other sources of income, finance and benefits (e.g., secondary cost savings from utilizing waste heat)

Please also describe the legal structure of investors, interest rates, discount rates, and other relevant aspects of your project’s financial structure.

NOTE: Applicants are encouraged to apply for the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit and the State Energy Loan Program, both offered by the Oregon Department of Energy.

Qualifications

Provide detailed descriptions of your team’s qualifications in the following areas:

• Management and administrative skills
• Technical skills and experience

Energy Trust Renewable Energy Program Information

Betsy Kauffman
Email: betsy.kauffman@energytrust.org
Phone: 503-459-4072

Peter West
Email: peter@energytrust.org
Phone: 503-445-7609

Additional Renewable Energy Information Resources

Oregon Department of Energy:
Email: energyweb.incoming@state.or.us
Phone: 503-378-4040
Website