Combined Heat and Power Partnership
Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund
| Date Last Updated | 11/16/2012 |
| Incentive Type | Loan; Rebate; Grant; Production Incentive |
| State/Federal | MA |
| Incentive Administrator/Contact Office | Massachusetts Clean Energy Center |
| Incentive Initiation Date | 11/25/1997 |
| Incentive Size and Funding Source | The Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund is supported by a non-bypassable surcharge of $0.0005 per kWh imposed on customers of all investor-owned electric utilities and competitive municipal utilities in Massachusetts. (Non-competitive municipal utilities generally may opt into the Fund by agreeing to the same provisions that apply to investor-owned utilities and competitive municipal utilities.) The Fund may provide grants, contracts, loans, equity investments, energy production credits, bill credits and rebates to customers. Total fund size was $23 million starting in 2011. |
| Eligible Recipient | The fund is authorized to support commercial, industrial, residential, nonprofit, schools, utility, agricultural and institutional property owners using Class I and Class II renewables. |
| Eligible Fuel | Does Not Specify |
| Eligible Project Size (MW) | <0.06 MW |
| Minimum Efficiency Required (%) | Does Not Specify |
| Other Selected Eligibility Criteria | Class I and Class II renewables generally include solar photovoltaics (PV); solar thermal electric energy; wind energy; ocean thermal, wave or tidal energy; fuel cells using renewable fuels; landfill gas; energy generated by certain existing hydroelectric facilities up to 5 megawatts in capacity; certain waste-to-energy which is a component of conventional municipal solid waste plant technology in commercial use; low-emission advanced biomass power conversion technologies using fuels such as wood, by-products or waste from agricultural crops, food or animals, energy crops, biogas, liquid biofuels; marine or hydrokinetic energy; and geothermal energy. In addition, the fund may support CHP systems less than 60 kilowatts (kW) and solar hot water. |
| Other Incentive Details | The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, a quasi-public research and development entity, administers the fund with oversight and planning assistance from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and an advisory board. The fund is required to transfer, upon the written request of the governor, moneys in the fund, in an amount not exceeding $17 million in the aggregate, for deposit in the state's general fund. In turn, the state must use any transferred money to enter into long-term contracts for the purchase of renewable energy. The maximum payment in any fiscal year under all such contracts is limited to $5 million. |
| Resource Website(s) |
