Grants for Community Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Projects Providing Direct Benefits to Low and Moderate Income Residential Electric Customers

"to provide on-bill credits for each member and the host along with a 2.5 cent per kWh\naddition for low-moderate income community solar projects.\n\nPursuant to RSA 362-F:10, VII, the DOE may, after notice and hearing, by order or rule,\nestablish \u201cadditional incentive or rebate programs for customer-sited thermal and\nrenewable energy projects\u201d to be supported by the REF. This RFP is issued pursuant to\nRSA 362-F:10, VIH, and DOE Order Approving Request for Proposals Competitive\nSolicitation for Low-Moderate Income Solar Project Funding in Fiscal Year 2022, issued\nDecember 6, 2021.\n\nThe DOE is seeking proposals from qualified individuals, entities, or multiple\nentities for community solar projects that would provide direct benefits to LMI\nresidential electric customers, as the means of meeting the statutory requirements.\nFor the purposes of this RFP, a residential electric customer is a residential\ncustomer of an electric utility that receives electric bills in the

customer\u2019s name.\nThe total funding available under this RFP is $1,000,000.\n\nAll grant awards are contingent upon final grant agreement approval by the\nGovernor and Executive Council.\n\nB. Definitions\n\nAs used in this RFP, the term \u201cproject\u201d includes both the equipment and facilities\ncomprising the solar PV system, and the management and administration of\nfinancing, funding, operations, maintenance, benefits provision, participating\ncustomer income verification, admission, replacement, education, communications,\nand other related matters.\n\nE Basic Project Eligibility Requirements\nTo be eligible for funding, projects must meet the following minimum requirements:\n\n1. Proposers must propose new resident-owned or third party-owned\nground-mounted, carport, or rooftop, community solar PV projects, including, but\nnot limited to, those located in or otherwise serving affordable multi-family rental\nhousing or resident-owned manufactured housing communities.\n\n2. Projects must utilize grant funds primarily for capital investments in new solar PV\nprojects that will result in a quantifiable direct benefit to a minimum of five\nresidential electric customers within the same electric distribution utility service\nterritory and where at least the majority of participants must be LMI. Consistent\nwith RSA 362-F:2, X-a, \u201cLMI\u201d is defined as end-user customers whose income is\nat or below 300 percent ofthe federal poverty guidelines.* For the purposes of\nthis proposal, moderate income participants are defined as end-user customers\n\n* The 2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) may be found at:\nFederal Register: Annual Update of the HHS Poverty Guidelines.\n\nNH Department of Energy RFP #2022-006 Page: 4\n" "whose income is more than 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines but less\nthan or equal to 300 percent of those guidelines.\n\n3. Projects must adhere to the statutory requirements of RSA 362-F:2, X-a and\nprovide direct benefits to LMI customers from the date of initial operation\nthrough the earlier to occur of (1) 20 years, or (ii) the end of the project\u2019s useful\noperational life.\n\n4. Projects must be operational no later than twenty-four (24) months after grant\nagreement approval by the Governor and Executive Council.\n\nSs Proposers may not also request and/or receive funding from the Non-residential\nCompetitive Grant Program, C&I Renewable Energy Rebate Program, or\nResidential Renewable Electric Generation Incentive Program for the same\nproject.\n\n6. Projects shall not be ineligible for grant funding if they also intend to submit a\nproposal in response to any future competitive solicitation that may be issued to\nimplement the electric assistance program (EAP) customer solar project program\nprovided for under Senate Bill 270 (2022), but no project shall be eligible for the\nFY 2023 LMI grant program if its proposal is expressly contingent on its selection\nin any such future separate solicitation under that other program.\n\nT. Grantees must commit to seeking REC eligibility in New Hampshire for the\nproject, including but not limited to submitting a complete application for REC\neligibility to the DOE.\n\n8. Only community solar PV projects are eligible for funding under this RFP.\n\n9. Projects must be physically located in New Hampshire; any point of grid\ninterconnection must also be in New Hampshire. Neither the project nor the end-\nuser customers to be served by the system may be located in, or a customer of, a\nmunicipal electric utility.\n\n10. Proposers must confirm that control of any site(s) on which their project(s) will be\nconstructed has been secured, through ownership, lease, or binding option to\nacquire or lease such site(s).\n\n11. Projects requesting full funding through this RFP must demonstrate that a\nminimum of 75% of the project\u2019s net revenues from electric generation will\ndirectly benefit LMI participants.\n\nu. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS\nThe overall proposal emphasis should be on completeness and clarity of content. Proposals that\n\nare incomplete or unsigned will not be considered. Proposals shall include the following\ninformation, and respond to all areas listed below, in the order listed.\n\nNH Department of Energy RFP #2022-006 Page: 5\n" "A. Letter of Transmittal\n\nInclude the name of the proposer, contact information for, and signature of, the\nindividual authorized to bind the proposer (or ofthe proposer), and identify the\nproposer\u2019s point of contact for this proposal. (1 page)\n\nB. Project Summary Sheet\n\nPlease use the form provided in Attachment A, \u201cProject Summary Sheet.\u201d\n\nC, Technical Project Proposal\n\n1.\n\n2,\n\n10.\n\nOverview of project site location (including panoramic and aerial site\nphotos) and description of where array is to be sited.\n\nSystem size (kW AC and kW DC), and generating facility equipment,\nincluding manufacturer and model (if applicable) of inverters, panels,\nracking, production meter and monitoring software.\n\nSolar PV system schematic (including one-line drawing), with an attached\ncopy of any relevant engineering or feasibility studies.\n\nSolar Site Survey, including a solar shading analysis and estimated annual\nproduction; a minimum of 80% optimal insolation is required. Please\nattach a copy of the Solar Site Survey.\n\nProjected kilowatt-hours (kWh) to be generated (annual and lifetime) and\nthe assumptions (e.g., capacity factor) used for the estimate.\n\nProject timeline, including start date, key milestones in project progress\n(e.g., design, permitting, construction, start-up, commissioning), and\nexpected interconnection date.\n\nList of permits and approvals required and status of such permits and\napprovals, including any lease or site-control arrangements with property\nowners. Please attach a copy of any applicable lease agreement or any\nother documents that demonstrate site control.\n\nDescribe the status of the interconnection review process. Provide the date\non which each of the following steps occurred or is anticipated to occur: i)\nsubmittal of Pre-Application, ii) submittal of Interconnection Request, iii)\nexecution of System Impact Study Agreements, iv) execution of\nInterconnection Agreement.\n\nIf a roof-mounted system, demonstrate that a structural analysis has been\ncompleted.\n\nDescribe project ownership structure, identify system owner, identify site\nowner, if different, including names of all project owners and project site\nownership and/or leasing structure, and describe any power purchase\nagreement (PPA), if applicable. Please attach a copy of any applicable\nPPA. Please include letter of support from the site owner, if applicable.\n\nNH Department of Energy RFP #2022-006 Page: 6\n" "ll. _ Describe assignments and roles of individual key project personnel, listing\nthe project developer, solar installation company, NH licensed electrician,\nand any other project personnel.\n\n12. _ Describe operations and maintenance plan for the system, including short-\nterm and long-term system operation, maintenance, and monitoring\narrangements, and estimated project lifespan, including any associated\ncosts.\n\n13. Describe the Labor and Product Warranties; note that a minimum of five\nyears\u2019 labor warranty is required. Projects must include a long-term plan\nfor one full replacement of project inverters.\n\nD. Project Model\n\nA narrative description comprehensively addressing how the community solar PV\nproject will be designed and managed, and the net benefits that will be provided\ndirectly to participating LMI customers:\n\nl. LMI Participant Benefits:\n\n1.\n\nil.\n\niii.\n\niv.\n\nvi.\n\nvi.\n\nNH Department of Energy\n\nDescribe estimated monthly or annual direct electric bill impacts (in\nkWh) to LMI participants, if applicable, and any allocation of kW to\nLMI participants and to non-LMI participants.\n\nDescribe all benefits to be provided to LMI participants and how\nthose benefits will be provided to LMI participants (e.g., through on-\nbill credits, group net metering (GNM), rental payment reduction,\nassociation dues reduction, etc.). Projects that include direct cash\npayments to LMI participants will score lower on relevant criteria\nthan projects that do not, because direct cash payments may affect\nLMI participants\u2019 eligibility for other programs, such as TANF,\nMedicaid, and SNAP (as defined below in subsection vii).\n\nProposers must provide data projections expressed in dollars that\nclearly demonstrate the annual net direct benefits to each LMI\nparticipant for the first 10 years following initial operation of the PV\nsystem (data for additional years may be presented if desired).\n\nList the total number of LMI participants, including the number of\nlow income and the number of moderate income participants, and the\nnumber of non-LMI participants (individual names are not required;\ngeneral descriptions may be provided, however the proposer must be\nable to verify names and income levels upon request).\n\nDescribe any costs to LMI participants including initial\nJoining/subscription fees (fee amount must be specified), and any\nongoing subscription fees, including amount, frequency, and term\nand any other costs to LMI participants.\n\nDescribe any other costs to LMI participants not included above;\ndescribe costs to non-LMI participants, including all elements\ndescribed in I(v).\n\nDescribe any identified potential impacts on public benefits program\neligibility of participating LMI customers (such as Section 8 rent\n\nRFP #2022-006 Page: 7\n" "vii.\n\nsubsidy, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance\nto Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition\nAssistance Program (SNAP), etc.).\n\nDescribe possible tax consequences to LMI participants. Ifthe\nproposed system is to be owned by LMI participants, please describe\nmeasures taken to avoid excess production payments from being\nconsidered taxable income.\n\nDescribe ownership interest ofthe LMI participants, if applicable.\nDescribe if array is located in a solar tax-exempt town/city. Please\nestimate the annual property tax costs associated with the array.\n\n2, Participant Communications:\n\n1.\n\nii.\n\nill.\n\nIv.\n\nDescribe how LMI participants will be identified/recruited, initial\nand ongoing income verification, etc.\n\nDefine proposed method for and cost of income verification. Identify\nwho will pay those costs.\n\nDescribe process for subscription management, including handling\nnew (additional) participants and/or enrollment of replacement\nparticipants.\n\nDescribe method of participant engagement, participating customer\neducation and outreach, and ongoing communication.\n\n3, Ownership Model:\n\n1.\n\nii.\n\niii.\n\niv.\n\nNH Department of Energy\n\nProvide a clear description of who will own the community solar\nPV system and for how long. If ownership will be transferred or\nsold during the operational life of the system, please explain when\nand how that will take place, and what, if any, transaction costs\nwill occur and who will pay them.\n\nIfthe community solar PV system is third party owned, describe\nplans for effective management and communications between third\nparty owner and organization providing direct benefits to\nparticipating residential electric customers.\n\nProvide a statement verifying that the grantee will submit an\napplication for the project to be certified as eligible for Renewable\nEnergy Certificates (RECs) in New Hampshire.\n\nDefine the party that owns the RECs and who will benefit from the\nsale of the RECs.\n\nRFP #2022-006 Page: 8\n"