The Rooftop Solar Challenge II (RSC II) is a program intended to deploy, at the regional and national scale innovative, local government-level solutions towards eliminating market barriers and lowering the non-hardware balance of system costs (“soft costs”) of grid-tied solar photovoltaics (PV). Applicants will be expected to have already demonstrated exceptional progress towards achieving soft cost reductions in specific geographic areas, and must present a credible plan to build on these successes by rapidly deploying techniques and tools to achieve larger-scale impact on solar PV markets. In addition to receiving a rigorous qualitative evaluation, Applicants will be quantitatively assessed and scored during and at the end of the project period according to the DOE Solar Market Maturity Model (SM3). Applicants are expected to propose a means for achieving the widespread process standardization that is critical to achieving rapid scale-up of PV markets.
Applicants may apply for one of two Topic Areas of awards:
1. Topic Area A: Wide-Impact Awards: These awards are intended to fund unique and innovative approaches to local solar PV market transformation, with particular focus on approaches with wide geographic and large population impacts.
2. Topic Area B: State and Regional-Impact Awards: These awards are intended to fund efforts to streamline and standardize processes at the state and regional level.
In accordance with 10 CFR 600.6(b), eligibility for award is restricted to Applicants:
· Located in the United States; and
· State or territorial governments; or
· Local governments; or
· Consortia, made up of regional or statewide teams of local, governments, large single jurisdictions, or Tribal governments; or
· Non-profit or for-profit entities authorized to act on behalf of a consortia of state and/or local governments, and
· The total population represented or impacted by an Applicant for this FOA must be 1,000,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Applications must be submitted through the EERE eXCHANGE website to be considered for award. The applicant must first register and create an account on the EERE eXCHANGE website. A User Guide for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchangeExchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.
Information on where to submit questions regarding the content of the announcement and where to submit questions regarding submission of applications is found in the full FOA posted on the EERE Exchange website.