In April, the Department of Energy announced a draft loan guarantee solicitation that could make as much as $4 billion in loan guarantees to help commercialize renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. The loan program seeks to promote “technologies that are on the edge of commercial-scale deployment today,” according to Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz. The DOE is accepting comments from the public before finalizing the solicitation, but the comment period ends May 27, 2014. Currently, the draft solicitation (PDF) focuses on projects that meet the following criteria:
The project is located in United States that uses:
• Renewable energy systems, or
• Efficient electrical generation, transmission, and distribution technologies, or
• Efficient end-use energy technologies,
and
• Avoids, reduces, or sequesters anthropogenic emission of greenhouse gases, and
• Employs new or significantly improved technology as compares with current commercial technology
Applicants interested in the loan program should ensure that they meet threshold requirements and understand the statutory definitions governing the solicitation. The informational materials for this loan program can be found here. Additionally, the DOE has some FAQs that interested parties may find useful.