USDA RD-Oregon 9006 Renewable Energy program

Oregon
Business & Cooperative Programs

§9006 Renewable Energy Systems

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The Section 9006 (§9006) program offers grants and/or loan guarantees for the purchase and installation of renewable energy generating systems. Assistance is limited to small businesses and farmers & ranchers. Projects must be located in a rural area. §9006 grants and guarantees may be used individually or in combination. Together they may finance up to 50% of a project's cost. Grants can never finance more than 25% of the project or $500,000 -- whichever is less. (The §9006 also supports energy efficiency projects.)

First-round §9006 grant application deadline is April 15, 2008.
Second-round §9006 grant application deadline is June 16, 2008.

9006 renewable energy grants overview

Getting Started

2008 Federal Register notice inviting 9006 applications - RD is now inviting §9006 applications under these guidelines.
What's "rural"? - a §9006 project must be in a rural location
What is a "small business"? - only small businesses or farmers/ranchers qualify

Recent Projects

9006 projects funded recently in Oregon - both renewable energy & energy efficiency

Application Process

9006 application process flow chart
9006 application contents and thresholds - the larger your project is, the greater the professional technical documentation required
Forms for grant applicants - or use the applicable templates below
9006 grant packagers in Oregon - if you decide not to do-it-yourself (or use the templates below)

Application Templates

Whether seeking a grant or a guaranteed loan, the applicant must submit the following items to RD. The make-up of a complete application differs depending on the cost of the project being proposed.

Sample simple 9006 grant application (small wind project)

	Simple Applications (≤$200,000 total project cost)	Full Applications (>$200,000 total project cost)
Part I. Applicant Forms, Certifications, & Narrative	Part I Template - all of the Part I items in a single template or complete them individually: Cover letter Table of contents Form SF 424 Form SF 424C Form SF 424D Form AD-1047 n/a Form AD-1049 n/a n/a Form RD 400-1 Form RD 400-4 Certification of relationship Certification of need Form RD 1940-20 Supplemental environmental information Organizational documents Project summary n/a Matching funds spreadsheet Self-evaluation score sheet	Part I Template - all of the Part I items in a single template or complete them individually: n/a Table of contents Form SF 424 Form SF 424C Form SF 424D Form AD-1047 Form AD-1048 Form AD-1049 Exhibit A-1, 1940-Q Form SF LLL Form RD 400-1 Form RD 400-4 Certification of relationship Certification of need Form RD 1940-20 Supplemental environmental information Organizational documents Project summary Financial information Matching funds spreadsheet Self-evaluation score sheet
Part II. Technical Report	Biomass Anaerobic digester Geothermal, electric Geothermal, direct use Hydrogen Solar, hot water Solar, small electric (≤10kw) Solar, large electric (>10kw) Wind, small (≤100kw) Wind, large (>100kw)	Biomass Anaerobic digester Geothermal, electric Geothermal, direct use Hydrogen Solar, small electric (≤10kw) Solar, large electric (>10kw) Wind, small (≤100kw) Wind, large (>100kw)
Part III. Feasibility Study	n/a	Independent feasibility study

What is a feasibility study? - All 9006 projects costing >$200,000 must provide an independent feasibility study with their application

§9006 Guaranteed Loans for renewable energy - a stand-alone or companion program for 9006 grants

9006 loan guarantees for commercial lenders

Regulations

9006 regulation - RD Instruction 4280-B

Links

RD-Oregon Energy portal - includes links to other renewable energy-supporting programs & agencies in Oregon
National USDA Rural Development 9006 web site
Ethanol plant feasibility study guidelines

RD-Oregon contacts for the §9006 program