§6371h–1 Energy sustainability and efficiency grants and loans for institutions

Summary

Provides money, technical help, and loans to colleges, public school districts, local governments, municipal utilities, and their designees to plan, test, and build energy-efficiency and sustainable energy projects. If Congress gives money, the Secretary must run a help program that teaches these institutions how to find, evaluate, design, and build sustainable energy systems and how to deal with interconnection, contracts, financing, permits, and operation. The Secretary can give grants for feasibility studies, for solving project barriers, and for detailed engineering. The Secretary also gives grants to improve energy efficiency on campus or in facilities, and to try out innovative energy technologies or new uses of existing technology. Some grant rules: at least one energy-efficiency grant each year should go to a college in every State if applications are made, and at least two innovation grants each year should go to colleges in every State if applied for. At least 50 percent of the money for those grant programs must go to institutions of higher education. Colleges must include students in projects and must run a public-awareness campaign and publish reports about energy saved and emissions reduced. Half of the college grant money each year must go to colleges with endowments of $100,000,000 or less, and at least half of that money should go to colleges with endowments of $50,000,000 or less, if they apply. Grant limits include specific caps and cost shares (for example, feasibility studies up to $50,000 or 75% of cost; detailed engineering up to $250,000 or 40% of cost; efficiency grants up to $1,000,000 or 60% of cost; innovation grants up to $500,000 or 75% of cost). The Secretary can also make loans, with terms set by the Secretary, final maturity no longer than 20 years or 90% of the useful life of the asset, interest tied to Treasury yields, and rules to ensure repayment. Construction work paid by these funds must pay prevailing wages. The Secretary had to set up application procedures within 180 days after December 19, 2007. Congress authorized $250,000,000 per year for grants and $500,000,000 per year for initial loans for fiscal years 2009–2013, with up to 5% used for administration. Key defined terms (one line each): combined heat and power — electric and heat made together with at least 60% overall thermal efficiency; district energy systems — thermal energy shared to more than one building from one or more production sites; energy sustainability — use of renewable, thermal, or very efficient technology for energy services; institution of higher education — as defined in section 15801; institutional entity — colleges, public school districts, local governments, municipal utilities, or their designees; renewable energy source — defined in section 918c of title 7; sustainable energy infrastructure — facilities that produce energy from renewable/thermal/highly efficient sources and district energy systems; thermal energy source — natural heating/cooling from lake/ocean water or recovery of otherwise wasted energy.