If your organization is a Maryland business,
nonprofit, local government, or State of Maryland government agency or
department that has purchased and installed a qualified clean energy system on
its facility, the following requirements must be met to qualify for a Clean
Energy Rebate:
Rebate Applicant and Property
Requirements
Businesses
and nonprofits must be registered to do business in the State
of Maryland.
Businesses
and nonprofits must own the property on which the clean energy system is
installed. Local governments and State of Maryland government agencies or
departments with owned - or leased-facilities are permitted to receive Clean Energy Rebates.
The
installation property must be located within the State of Maryland.
Clean
Energy Rebates cannot be awarded to projects which are deemed to create an
adverse impact on the historical significance of an historical property, or
historic district, as determined by the Maryland Historical Trust. Prominent installations of clean energy
systems on historic properties or properties within historic areas will not
qualify for this Rebate program. Applicants can visit Maryland's Environmental Resources and
Land Information Network (“MERLIN Online”), to see if a property is recorded in the
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties, the National Register of Historic Places,
or a Maryland Historical Trust Preservation Easement. For a building that falls within these
boundaries, pre-coordination with the Maryland Historical Trust ((410)
697-9591 or MEA's in-house historical preservation expert (fred.shoken@maryland.gov) should be conducted before installing a prominent clean energy
system. For buildings that are 45 years
in age, or older, multiple photos of the front of the building taken from different
locations on the street (“street view”) are recommended to help expedite the
historical review process.
System Requirements
The
clean energy system must be purchased by the rebate applicant. For systems
under leases or power purchase agreements (PPAs), see the section entitled
“Third-Party Owned System Eligibility Requirements.”
The
clean energy system must be paid in full before MEA will approve any Clean Energy Rebate for payment.
The
clean energy system must have all permits required by the county or (local
authority having jurisdiction) and pass all required final inspections before a Clean Energy Rebate will be approved for payment by MEA.
Any
contractor that installs a clean energy system must have the proper State of Maryland license(s) and install the system to the manufacturer’s specifications and in
compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
Eligible
clean energy systems must meet all technology requirements as described in
Section I of the FY21 C-CERP Terms &
Conditions.
Additional Requirements
Clean
Energy Rebates are limited to one award per clean energy technology per eligible
property. Only one technology may be applied for on a single application.
Rebate
Applicants must meet all other requirements specified by the FY21 C-CERP Terms & Conditions.
If your organization is the Lessor or Provider
of a solar PV or solar thermal system under a lease or Power Purchase Agreement
(“PPA”) to a Maryland business, nonprofit, local government, or State of
Maryland government agency or department, the following requirements must be
met to qualify for a Clean Energy Rebate:
Rebate
Applicant and Property Requirements
The
Lessor/Provider must be registered to do business in the State
of Maryland.
Lessee/customer
businesses and nonprofit organizations must own the property on which the clean energy
system is installed. Local governments and State of Maryland
government agencies may own or lease the facility on which the clean energy system has
been installed.
The
installation property must be located within the State of Maryland.
Clean
Energy Rebates cannot be awarded to projects which are deemed to create an
adverse impact on the historical significance of a historical property, as
determined by the Maryland Historical Trust.
Prominent installations of clean energy systems on historic properties
or properties within historic areas will not qualify for this Rebate program.
Applicants can visit Maryland's Environmental Resources and
Land Information Network (“MERLIN Online”), to see if a property is recorded in the
Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties, the National Register of Historic
Places, or a Maryland Historical Trust Preservation Easement. For a building that falls within these
boundaries, pre-coordination with the Maryland Historical Trust ((410) 697-9591) or MEA's in-house historic preservation expert (fred.shoken@maryland.gov) should be conducted before installing a prominent clean energy system. For buildings that are 45 years in age, or
older, multiple photos of the front of the building taken from different
locations on the street (“street view”) are recommended to help expedite the
historical review process.
System
Requirements
The
clean energy system must be under a lease agreement or Power Purchase Agreement
(“PPA”).
The
installation costs for the clean energy system must be documented to be paid-in-full before MEA will approve a Clean Energy Rebate award for payment.
The
clean energy system must have all permits required by the County or local
authority having jurisdiction and pass all required final inspections before an
application for a Clean Energy Rebate is submitted to MEA.
Any
contractor that installs the clean energy system must have the required State of Maryland license(s) and install the system to the manufacturer’s specifications and in
compliance with all applicable Federal, State, and local laws and regulations.
Eligible
clean energy systems must meet all technology requirements as described in
Section I of the FY21 C-CERP Terms &
Conditions.
 Commercial CERP Terms and Conditions 8.7.2020 final.docx.pdf
Additional
Requirements
Clean
Energy Rebates are limited to one award per clean energy technology per eligible
property. Only one technology may be applied for on a single application.
Some rebate award
levels have changed from previous fiscal years. FY21 runs from July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021. Please see the tables below for rebate amounts.
Solar PV,
Solar Thermal, and Geothermal
Eligible Solar PV, Solar Thermal, and
Geothermal systems must be within the Eligible System capacity ranges listed in the
table below. Systems which fall below the minimum or
exceed the maximum sizes do not qualify for Clean Energy Rebates
|
Clean
Energy Technology
|
Eligible
System Capacity Range
|
Rebate
Amount
|
|
Solar
Photovoltaic (PV)
|
1-8
kW-dc
8-108
kW-dc
108-250.0
kW-dc
|
$1,000,
$1,000
+ $150/kW *(capacity – 8 kW)
$16,000+$100/kW*(capacity–108 kW)
$20,000
maximum
|
| Solar Photovoltaic (PV) – rooftop only |
250.1 -375 kW-dc
rooftop only |
$20,000 + $80/kW*(capacity-250 kW)
$30,000 maximum
rooftop only |
|
Solar
Thermal (Water Heating)
|
10-2,000.0
sq. ft.
|
$20/sq.
ft.,
$12,000
maximum
|
|
Geothermal
|
1-10
tons
10-50.0
tons
|
$3,000,
$3,000+$400*(capacity
– 10 tons),
$12,000
maximum
|
Purchased Systems (Solar PV, Solar
Thermal, and Geothermal)
If a Rebate Commitment Letter is being sought prior to starting a project, for a purchased system, download, complete and submit the FY21 C-CERP Application
– Purchased Systems form (below).
 Commercial CERP Application Final 8.10.2020
If a Rebate Commitment Letter is not being sought prior to the start of a project involving a purchased system, do not submit the application form. Instead, download, complete and submit the FY21 CERP Completion Certificate form (below):
Commercial CERP Completion Certificate 8.10 830P
Third-Party Owned Systems (Solar PV
and Solar Thermal)
If a Rebate Commitment Letter is being sought prior to starting a project that will have third-party ownership, download, complete and submit the FY21 C-CERP Application – TPO Systems form (below).
Commercial CERP Application - TPOs 8.10.2020
If a Rebate Commitment Letter is not being sought, do not submit the Application form.
Instead, download, complete and submit the FY21 CERP Completion
Certificate – TPO Systems form (below):
Commercial CERP Completion Cert - TPO with Cover Page 8.11.2020
Once complete, please mail the application packet for both purchased and third-party systems, with all specified required attachments, to MEA at the following address:
Maryland Energy Administration
Attn: C-CERP – New Application
1800 Washington Boulevard, Suite 755
Baltimore, MD 21230
Status of Submitted Applications
If you have submitted an application for a Clean Energy Rebate to MEA and would like to check the status of your application, please download and view the Open Award Status Report below. To locate your application, use the find feature in your spreadsheet viewer (usually “Ctrl+F” on Windows devices and “Command+F” on Apple devices) and search the name of the application.
Open Award Status Report (Generally updated by the end of the day on Wednesday each week):
 Weekly Status Report 2021.04.07
NABCEP (PV Projects
only)
Projects
must be completed by installation contractors who maintain at least one
staff member with a North
American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners ('NABCEP') Installation
Certification; or, for companies with at least 50 employees, at least one
staff member with a NABCEP Installation Certification for every 25
non-administrative employees, except if an installation contractor has been
registered to do business in Maryland for less than twelve (12) months
prior to the submission of an application for a Rebate.
New requirements pursuant to the
Clean Energy Jobs Act of 2019:
· American Manufactured Goods – Chapter 757 of the 2019 Acts of
the General Assembly of Maryland includes a provision referencing the
American Manufactured Goods provisions in §§ 14-416 and 17-303 of the State
Finance and Procurement Article. Applicants affected by those provisions that receive a Commercial Clean Energy Program Commitment Letter prior to the project being constructed will be required to certify compliance with this requirement.
· Project Location - For
projects receiving an MEA Clean Energy Rebate Program Commitment Letter), and for which the rebate recipient will directly hire workers to install the project: Chapter
757 of the 2019 Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland requires at
least 80% of workers participating in a SEIF-funded project or program to
reside within 50 miles of the project or program. As the SEIF funds a
statewide program, MEA will determine compliance based on whether at least
80% of workers participating in a Strategic Energy Investment Fund (SEIF) funded project reside in Maryland,
or within 50 miles of Maryland's borders. The Commercial Clean Energy Rebate Program is SEIF-funded. Therefore, applicants who have received an MEA commitment letter and have directly hired workers that are installing the project will be required to retain records and certify compliance with this requirement before Rebate funds are disbursed.
Tax
Status of Clean Energy Rebates
MEA
does not provide tax information or tax advice. Questions should be
directed to a qualified tax professional.
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If you have additional questions please contact the program manager, David Comis, at david.comis@maryland.gov or via phone at (410)- 537-4064. |
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