Blue Sky community project applications

Eligible renewable energy technologies

• Wind

• Solar PV

• Geothermal

• Low-impact hydro, certified by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI)

• Pipeline or irrigation canal hydropower

• Wave energy or tidal action

• Low-emissions biomass based on digester methane gas from landfills, sewage treatment plants or animal waste and biomass energy based on solid organic fuels from wood, forest or field residues or dedicated crops that do not include wood pieces that have been treated with chemical preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol or copper chrome arsenic. 

Project requirements

• Project must be new or a new addition to existing project using new equipment.
• Grid-connected
  
• Served by Rocky Mountain Power (View service area map)
• Locally-owned
• Non-residential
• Capacity no greater than 10 MW
• Include battery storage and participate in Wattsmart battery if available in the state
• Equipped with electronic monitoring system to collect inverter energy production data for a period of at least five years. The monitoring system must consist of a production history electronic database and a public web link to be added to Rocky Mountain Power’s website for educational purposes.
  
• Applicants are expected to enroll as a Blue Sky business partner as of the date the funding award agreement is signed. Installations that provide direct financial benefit to a for-profit business may be considered, but only if the organization is a Blue Sky participant at the Visionary level. 
• Install permanent signage at the site

Funding is not available for:

• Off-grid projects
  
• Heat generation systems – geothermal, passive solar, solar thermal or biomass
• Residential installations
• Activities not directly related to the capital costs of new renewable energy systems, such as: 
  • Structural improvements or other site preparation that would be considered general facilities maintenance (e.g.re-roofing, upgrading an overloaded electrical panel, tree removal or trimming, construction of a carport or other facility that will host the renewable energy equipment) site preparation activities that are only required for the renewable energy project and are otherwise not required for general facility maintenance (e.g., ballast rock removal, roof reinforcement, trenching a new wire run exclusively for the solar array), may be considered an eligible expense on an individual basis.
  • Administrative or project management cost

Note:  Reasonable design costs proposed for the purpose of optimizing the facility’s energy production and finalizing system design may be considered; however, Blue Sky funding may not be used to recoup the costs for preliminary designs incurred prior to application submission.

Rocky Mountain Power does not provide project development assistance and does not provide assistance in obtaining co-funding.

If your project is selected for funding, you will be subject to certain requirements to maintain your project’s eligibility. The following describes the current awardee requirements, which are subject to change without notice:

Project reports

1. Submit quarterly progress reports on April 15th, July 15th, October 15th and January 15th until the project is completed and on-line. Failure to submit reports may delay the processing of future reimbursement or for the award offer to be rescinded.
2. Notify Rocky Mountain Power as soon as possible in writing of any change in project scope via the project change request form. You must receive approval from Rocky Mountain Power prior to altering the scope of the project. The original level of funding awarded will be re-evaluated at that time against the new project scope.    
3. Keep the Blue Sky funding award administrator and local utility contact apprised of project updates and opportunities to participate in celebrations and news/press announcements as your project develops and upon completion of your project. 
4. Submit a final report and supporting documentation upon completion of the project summarizing the project specifications, completion date, anticipated electricity production, educational components and community benefit, etc. as well as documentation that verifies completion (definition below) and detailed renewable energy project costs.

All communications should be sent to bluesky@pacificorp.com

Funds will be distributed once we receive and approve the final report and information is provided which confirms the following:

• City/county electrical inspection is completed
• Utility has approved interconnection agreement application
• Utility has approved installation for operation (utility installed net meter is operational and system is grid tied; for projects that are not to be net metered, the final report must include a copy of the power purchase agreement signed by the project sponsor and an authorized Rocky Mountain Power representative)
• Itemized financial report showing allocation of Blue Sky funding including the percent of the total project cost covered by Blue Sky funds and back-up documentation submitted (i.e. invoices for total project costs including material and labor costs)
• Details of ongoing education plan with any supporting documentation, such as flyers, boards, blogs, etc. Recipients are expected to notify Rocky Mountain Power of all media, outreach and education pieces in advance and submit all collateral for review by the Blue Sky team.
• Non-secure web link to the inverter monitoring system displaying production data of the renewable energy installation
• Photos of: construction, installation, project kiosk/dashboard, project area
• Completion and approval of a Wattsmart battery application if applicable in your state

Blue Sky program participation

Funding recipients must be enrolled in Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program as a business partner; for-profit businesses must enroll at the Visionary level. New partnership enrollments must be submitted prior to, or along with, the submission of the signed agreement detailing the conditions and requirements of accepting Blue Sky funds.

Permanent signage

Develop and install permanent signage at the site that publicly recognizes the contributions of Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky Program customers. Rocky Mountain Power can provide samples and support the development of content and messaging. 

Project communication

All correspondence regarding the project, quarterly reports, project change forms, Blue Sky partnership enrollment forms and communication, must be submitted via email to Rocky Mountain Power at bluesky@pacificorp.com.

Project monitoring

Provide Rocky Mountain Power with public access to inverter data and to the inverter monitoring web page. Rocky Mountain Power may place a link to the monitoring site on its website. Information collected may be used for educational purposes, performance analysis or any other reason Rocky Mountain Power deems necessary. 

Renewable energy certificates

To the extent the project is able to generate renewable energy certificates (RECs), award recipients agree to grant Rocky Mountain Power's Blue Sky program the right to its proportionate share of the project’s renewable energy certificates – an added benefit for Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky customers for the life of the project.  The share amount is expressed as a percentage of output when comparing Rocky Mountain Power’s financial contribution to the overall cost of the renewable energy project. Rocky Mountain Power will also be given the opportunity to purchase additional renewable energy credits from the project, up to 100 percent of the project’s output.

Rocky Mountain Power customer communications

Allow Rocky Mountain Power and its customers and guests at least two tours each year, subject to 30 days advance notice by Rocky Mountain Power.

Allow Rocky Mountain Power to include information regarding your project in customer communication material used by Rocky Mountain Power. This includes Rocky Mountain Power’s right to use photographs of the facility in brochures and Internet pages for purposes of supporting the Blue Sky renewable energy program. Additionally, this includes the right to have a celebration when the project begins producing electricity.

Financing

Documentation of secured funding sources must be provided with project application. Documentation of any funding sources not secured at the time of application submission must be provided to Rocky Mountain Power prior to project completion and before Blue Sky award is issued. 

Applications are evaluated by a diverse team of Rocky Mountain Power experts.  Evaluation may be based on the application materials and an interview with the project team and project contractor/engineer.

After screening for requirements and eligibility, applications are graded on renewable energy project feasibility/readiness, costs, financing, additionality and community benefits and Blue Sky exposure. Project applications will be weighted based on the community need, innovative nature and matching funds. 

Preferred project characteristics

In addition, additional weighting is provided for projects that:

• Advance new and emerging technologies, including solar tied to electric vehicle charging.
• Target underserved populations (low income or rural).
• Community centers
• Provide robust education and public engagement plans.
• Have a high cost matching percentage
• Use local labor and materials.
  
• Have a host that is financially invested in the project. We recommend using the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) as a resource to identify other funding opportunities applicable to your project.

If you believe your project is a good candidate for funding, please submit an application along with all required supplemental documentation. Applications will be reviewed twice a year.

Blue Sky Community Project Funding Application

Recent completed project awards are listed below as examples:

• Please be complete in your response to each question to convey a thorough understanding of your project.
• In addition to the required documents listed in the application, we strongly encourage you to submit additional documents to support and strengthen your application including schematics, system design drawings, engineering diagrams, site usage agreements, additional letters of support, financial pro-formas, site/installation simulations, copies or lists of required permits, examples of other sustainability efforts supported by your organization, etc.
• Your application must include clearly stated objectives, specific plans to achieve them, site assessment findings, preliminary designs, construction plans, photos of the project/ installation site, evidence of your project’s feasibility including permitting, interconnection arrangements, and contractor/project manager experience and an expected installation timetable.
• Please itemize and describe all sources of financing or revenue, including that which has already been spent on the project or which you anticipate receiving for the project. Please provide any copies of other grant/funding award applications that have been submitted.
• Applicants must illustrate how the knowledge gained will be used to build the renewable energy market.    
• We strongly encourage our applicants to seek funding or in-kind donations from a variety of sources to strengthen the application. Project applicants may be chosen to receive full or partial funding based on the amount requested.

• The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE), a comprehensive, user-friendly and free source of information on state, local, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy.
• The National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Renewable Energy Project Finance website – A resource for exploring funding and financing options.
• Customer Generation – Rocky Mountain Power Net-metering /Interconnection Requirements information.
• The Department of Energy’s Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments. The guide is intended to help communities accelerate their adoption of solar energy technologies and help communities better understand the steps necessary to permit and license solar energy installations and how to streamline those processes. It is available online.
• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Stimulus Funds – The U.S. Department of Energy's site providing information on the goals, the requirements and how to apply for funding through this program.
• USDA Renewable Energy Grants for Rural Communities – Information regarding the eligibility requirements and applying for funding through the USDA's Rural Energy for America program.
• US Department of Energy Financial Assistance – Information regarding the U.S. Department of Energy's financial assistance regulations, policies and access to forms and information for applicants and recipients.
• Renewable Energy RFPs – U.S. Department of Energy's lists solicitations and a variety of information for green power markets.