Financial opportunities for both wind energy and hydropower projects are available through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The resources listed here include opportunities from DOE and the Office of EERE, specific opportunities for small businesses, and additional opportunities from DOE, DOE's national laboratories, and other agencies.
About Wind and Hydropower Financial Opportunities
The Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program focuses on technological development to improve the reliability and affordability of wind energy, as well as addressing barriers to wind energy deployment; the program also focuses on research, development, and deployment of innovative technologies capable of generating electricity from water. The program strongly prefers to award funding for research and development activities through competitive solicitations.
The program does not fund the purchase or installation of wind or water energy systems by individuals or companies. For information on federal grants and tax incentives for the purchase and operation of wind and water energy systems, please see "Grants and Tax Incentives" below.
Wind and Hydropower Solicitations
Proposals for wind or water energy research, development, and demonstration projects should be submitted to the Wind and Hydropower Technologies Program in response to a competitive solicitations. The following are solicitations posted by the program.
| Status | Solicitation Name and Link | Open date | Close date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Advanced Water Power PA (Labs: search DE-FOA-0000070) | 4/8/09 | 6/4/09 |
| Open | Advanced Water Power FOA (Industry: search DE-FOA-0000069) | 4/8/09 | 6/4/09 |
| Notice of Intent | Recovery Act: Wind Energy Consortia between Institutions of Higher Learning and Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Notice of Intent | Recovery Act: Large Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility | N/A | N/A |
| Closed | 20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges (Lab Call) | 12/30/08 | 3/3/09 |
| Closed | 20% Wind by 2030: Overcoming the Challenges (Industry Call) | 12/30/08 | 3/5/09 |
The Advanced Water Power solicitations are posted on the public opportunities page of the FedConnect Web site; search using the funding opportunity numbers listed above.
If you are interested in applying for funding, but your project does not fit within the scope of the posted solicitations, please submit your proposal to DOE's Unsolicited Proposal Office. However, the program strongly prefers to award funding through competitive solicitations.
Grants and Tax Incentives
The federal government offers an investment tax credit for the purchase and installation of qualifying small wind electric systems, worth 30% of the value of the system. For details, please see the Residential Renewable Energy Tax Credit page in the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) Web site. The federal government also offers a Renewable Electricity Production Tax Credit and Business Energy Investment Tax Credit for larger, utility-scale wind power installations. The Recovery Act of 2009 also established a cash grant exchange for the Investment Tax Credit; details of this program are still being finalized as of April 2009. Additional incentives may be available at the state level; visit the DSIRE database for more information. Small wind systems installed for agricultural applications may be eligible for federal funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture; visit Wind Powering America's Agricultural Community page for details.
Other Financial Opportunities from DOE
The EERE Financial Opportunities Web page provides links to useful resources about financing and incentives for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for the home, business, industry, utilities, and government.
DOE awards funding to small businesses for renewable energy research and development projects through its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBTT) programs. Visit DOE's Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Web site to apply for grants.
DOE offers loan guarantees for eligible projects, including renewable energy projects, that "avoid, reduce, or sequester air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases" and "employ new or significantly improved technologies." For more information, visit the Web site of the DOE Loan Guarantee Program.