Frequently Asked Questions

Under this announcement, DOE expects to make 20-25 awards.

Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

A. Eligible Applicants

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

• 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Thank you for your interest in this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).  The objective of this FOA is to achieve measurable improvements in market conditions for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) across the United States, with an emphasis on streamlined and standardized permitting and interconnection processes.  Please refer to Section I. Funding Opportunity Description of the FOA document for the specific purpose of this FOA. Successful applications will intimately address the FOA Scope as outlined in this Section.    

For all other opportunities, please visit our websites at: http://www.eere.energy.gov, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar and http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sunshot/.
For more technical solar information, please visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website at http://www.nrel.gov/solar/.

Thank you for your interest in this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).  The objective of this FOA is to achieve measurable improvements in market conditions for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) across the United States, with an emphasis on streamlined and standardized permitting and interconnection processes.  Please refer to Section I. Funding Opportunity Description of the FOA document for the specific purpose of this FOA. Successful applications will intimately address the FOA Scope as outlined in this Section.    

For all other opportunities, please visit our websites at: http://www.eere.energy.gov, http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar and http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/sunshot/.
For more technical solar information, please visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory website at http://www.nrel.gov/solar/.

Yes, for purposes of this page in eXCHANGE, "concept paper" is the same as the Letter of Intent that is required for this FOA.

When you create an application record, you will need to submit the Letter of Intent.  Please be aware that you will have the opportunity to re-submit a revised Letter of Intent or application for any reason as long as the relevant submission is submitted by the specified deadline.  This is also true for the abstract.

Applicant teams must represent a population of at least 500,000.  DOE encourages jurisdictions to partner as necessary to meet the minimum population threshold.  Achieving standardization of policies and processes across major metropolitan areas and multiple jurisdictions is critical to solar market development.

For the purposes of responding to Attachment 1, typical installations can be defined as follows:

For Residential Installations:

•       Power rating: approximately 4kW.

•       Structural:

1.      Code compliant structure

2.      Engineered mounting system designed for attaching PV to the structure

3.      Distributed weight of less than 5 lbs./ft2 and less than 45 lbs. per attachment.

•       Electrical: Meet the minimum electrical requirements as defined in the Solar ABCs Expedited Permit Process for PV Systems, which includes:

1.      PV modules, utility-interactive inverters, and combiner boxes are identified for use in PV systems.

2.      The PV array is composed of 4 series strings or less per inverter, and 15 kWSTC or less.

3.      The total inverter capacity has a continuous AC power output 13,440 Watts or less

4.      The AC interconnection point is on the load side of service disconnecting means (NEC 690.64(B)).

5.      The electrical diagram (E1.1) can be used to accurately represent the PV system. (See page 9 of Solar ABC’s Expedited Permit Process for PV Systems report).

For Commercial Installations:

Due to the variability in commercial rooftop PV systems, the Challenge is less prescriptive in defining a “typical installation” for commercial projects. However, several basic assumptions can be made:

·         Power rating: approximately 200kW

A team composed of multiple jurisdictions must submit one copy of Attachment 1 for each participating jurisdiction.  The Lead Applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application package includes one copy of Attachment 1 for each jurisdiction and that answers are based on the most accurate information available.  Files should be named according to the naming convention on p.25 of the FOA.

This FOA is designed to address the lack of standardization of policies and processes related to rooftop solar projects.  DOE seeks to fund teams that can implement standardized processes across units of government in  major existing or potential solar markets.  For this reason, DOE is requiring that applicant teams represent a minimum population of 500,000. DOE encourages Tribes to partner as necessary to meet the eligibility requirements.   

 Costs related to equipment and materials will not be prohibited unless the costs are not adequately justified, or if they are unallowable according to the applicable Cost Principles.  As stated in Section IV.C.7. of the FOA, the applicant must, as part of its budget justification, "provide a list of equipment and cost of each item providing a basis of cost such as vendor quotes, catalog prices, prior invoices, etc., and briefly justifying its need as it applies to the Statement of Project Objectives."

It is the sense of the Congress that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with funds made available under this award should be American-made.

Multiple subrecipient budget files can be uploaded as a New Additional File, under Additional Files in the Upload and Submit tab. 

Please refer to Section III, Eligibility Information, in the FOA:

 It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

 •     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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

 Please also note that DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Federal Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and non-DOE FFRDC’s, are not eligible to apply.

You will need to register for each webinar by clicking the applicable links listed in Appendix F of the FOA (also referenced below for your convenience).  When you click on these links, you will need to fill out the applicable information and click the "Register Now" button.  Once you click this button, your information is submitted to the Webinar organizer, who will use it to communicate with you regarding these events.

WEBINAR 1: Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/313314742

WEBINAR 2: Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/123144102

WEBINAR 3: Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/276402534

WEBINAR 4: Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/803661734

Applicant teams must represent a population of at least 500,000.  DOE encourages jurisdictions to partner as necessary to meet the minimum population threshold.  Achieving standardization of policies and processes across major metropolitan areas and multiple jurisdictions is critical to solar market development.

A county may apply on its own as long as it meets the minimum population threshold (500,000) on its own, not including the population of jurisdictions within the county.  For the purposes of applying to this funding opportunity, a county must subtract from its reported population the population of any jurisdictions within the county that do not provide letters of commitment to participate on the applicant team. 

The exception to this rule is if a county is the authority-having-jurisdiction with regard to solar permitting for jurisdictions within the county.  In this case, a county may include the population of those jurisdictions in its reported population without providing letters of commitment from those jurisdictions.

Letters of Intent (LOI) must be submitted via the EERE eXCHANGE at http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange.  This is the only address to submit the Letter of Intent. If you would like to add an address to the LOI heading, you can use:

 US Department of Energy

Golden Field Office

1617 Cole Boulevard

Golden, CO 80401

 However, mailing or sending any documents to this address will not constitute submittal of a Letter of Intent.

As stated in Section III.B. of the FOA:

Applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum 10% cost share for Phase 1 and, should DOE choose to move forward with Phase 2 of this effort, a minimum 20% cost share will be required.  Cost share may consist of cash or in-kind contributions from the lead applicant or partners.

As an example, the minimum applicant cost share requirement for a hypothetical project with a Total Project Cost of $555,555 would be:

Applicant Phase 1 share, 10%    $55,555

DOE Phase 1 share, 90%          $500,000

Total Phase 1 Project Cost:     $555,555

Cost share may consist of cash or in-kind contributions from the lead applicant or partners.

Please note that the required minimum applicant cost share percentage is not based on the Federal share but, rather, is based on the Total Project Cost.

Only one letter of intent is required for each individual application; however, the letter of intent must include the lead applicant name and names of all anticipated partners, as stated in Section IV.B. of the FOA:

The Letter of Intent must include the following information:

1.    Lead Applicant and names of all anticipated partners

2.    Title of the project

3.    One page abstract describing the project

4.    Estimated total DOE funding request

Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

 A. Eligible Applicants

 It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

 • 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

The abstract should contain a description of the project, as stated in Section IV.B. of the FOA.

The Challenge is intended to support local and regional teams representing populations of at least 500,000 in improving market conditions for rooftop PV by addressing permitting processes, interconnection and net metering standards, financing options, and planning and zoning issues. 

 While demonstration projects are not prohibited as an activity under the Challenge, the development and demonstration of new PV technologies or applications is not the focus of this funding opportunity.

You will need to register for this webinar by clicking the applicable link listed in Appendix F of the FOA (also referenced below for your convenience).  When you click on the link, you will need to fill out the applicable information and click the "Register Now" button.  Once you click this button, your information is submitted to the Webinar organizer, who will use it to communicate with you regarding this event.

 WEBINAR 1

Wednesday, June 29, 2:00pm-3:30pm ETPlease register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/313314742

All applicants must submit a letter of support, at a minimum, or a letter of commitment (which would include a commitment to provide cost-share) from the head of the state energy office or equivalent agency.

A university may apply as a lead applicant but must partner with local jurisdictions. The population represented by a given applicant is calculated as the sum of the populations of local jurisdictions that submit letters of commitment to participate on the team.

Figure 1 is incorrect, interconnection is not part of Phase 2.  Please refer to Page 11 of the FOA that states:

Potential Phase 2 Action Areas:

•     STATE/REGIONAL STANDARDIZATION OF PERMITTING PROCESSES:  Achieve implementation of common process framework for PV permitting throughout the awardee’s state, and more broadly if possible. 

Yes, the lead applicant may subcontract with county governments.  A county government may also apply as a lead applicant even if it is not the relevant authority-having jurisdiction for solar permitting, as long as the application includes letters of commitment from municipalities with a total population greater than 500,000.

10% is the total cost share required from the applicant team as a whole; the distribution of cost-share within a team is at the applicant's discretion.

DOE encourages applicants to partner with organizations as necessary to achieve the goals of the funding opportunity. 

The FOA is designed to support teams in increasing market maturity such that by the end of Phase 1 the team achieves a minimum score of 800/1000 on the market assessment, and higher if possible.  Applicants should therefore focus their plan on the action areas necessary to raise their score to at least the minimum level.  In making initial selections, DOE will consider the merit review criteria listed on pages 28-29 of the FOA.

For the initial award selection, DOE will evaluate all applications based on the merit review criteria listed on pages 28-29 of the FOA.  At the end of Phase 1, one of the factors determing eligibility for a potential Phase 2 will be the team's score on the market assessment, which is based on the lowest score of any participating local jurisdiction.

The Rooftop Solar Challenge is based in part on the successes and lessons learned from the 25 Solar America Cities partnerships.  The Solar America Cities partnerships resulted in best practices and innovative models for removing market barriers to solar and reducing PV system costs through smarter processes.  DOE has published a compilation of best practices for local governments interested in increasing local solar energy use titled Solar Powering Your Community: A Guide for Local Governments, available at www.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/resources <http://www.solaramericacommunities.energy.gov/resources> .  The 25 Solar America Cities are treated equally to all other jurisdictions in regard to their eligibility for the Challenge.

DOE's broader Solar America Communities Outreach effort will complement the Challenge by providing introductory information on solar as an energy solution to thousands of local governments across the country through workshops and multi-media communications, while the Challenge awardees will represent a more in depth effort by DOE to develop 25 strong regional markets.

DOE encourages applicants to partner with organizations as necessary to achieve the goals of the funding opportunity.  The FOA is designed to support teams in increasing market maturity such that by the end of Phase 1 the team achieves a minimum score of 800/1000 on the market assessment, and higher if possible.  Applicants should therefore focus their plan on the action areas necessary to raise their score to at least the minimum level.  In making initial selections, DOE will consider the merit review criteria listed on pages 28-29 of the FOA.

Yes, an application that comprises jurisdictions in more than one state is acceptable.

DOE will try to respond to a question within 3 business days, unless a similar question and answer have already been posted on the website.

The presentations are recorded and will be accessible from the Rooftop Solar Challenge home page at www.solar.energy.gov/challenge.

You will need to register for this webinar by clicking the applicable link listed in Appendix F of the FOA (also referenced below for your convenience).  When you click on the link, you will need to fill out the applicable information and click the "Register Now" button.  Once you click this button, your information is submitted to the Webinar organizer, who will use it to communicate with you regarding this event.

This presentation was recorded and it will be accessible from the Rooftop Solar Challenge home page at www.solar.energy.gov/challenge. 

WEBINAR 2

SunShot Initiative: Rooftop Solar Challenge to Induce Market Transformation: Permitting and Interconnection Processes Overview

Wednesday, July 6, 2:00pm-3:00pm ET

Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/123144102

WEBINAR 3

SunShot Initiative: Rooftop Solar Challenge to Induce Market Transformation: Net Metering and Interconnection Standards Overview

Wednesday, July 13, 2:00pm-3:00pm ET

Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/276402534

WEBINAR 4

SunShot Initiative: Rooftop Solar Challenge to Induce Market Transformation: Financing Options and Planning and Zoning Overview

Wednesday, July 20, 2:00pm-3:00pm ET

Please register at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/803661734

Under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995, an organization described in section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which engages in lobbying activities shall not be eligible for the receipt of Federal funds constituting an award, grant, contract, loan, or any other form.

This applies to both prime and subrecipients/subcontractors.

There are two types of letters that can be submitted with the application: letters of support and letters of commitment.  The difference is that letters of commitment include a commitment to contribute cost share.  The type of letter required from the primary load-serving utility is a letter of support, although utilities are welcome and encouraged to provide cost share, in which case the letter submitted would be a letter of commitment.

As stated on page 10 of the FOA, letters of support must indicate that the entity is supportive of the applicant's proposal and will engage in activities as appropriate to help the applicant achieve the proposed objectives.

If the lead applicant is a State Energy Office, they must submit letters of commitment from each participating jurisdiction, as well as letters of support from the primary load-serving utility in each jurisdiction.  The State Energy Office does not have to supply letters of support back to the participating jurisdictions.

Note that the mention of letters of support occurs on page 10 of the modified FOA, not page 8.  Please be sure you are viewing the latest version of the FOA.

In the case of a council form of government the letter of commitment may be signed by an individual or group that has authority to legally bind the local unit of government.  

Please see Appendix C – Cost Share Information of the FOA document. Cost share will be applied to awards under this Funding Opportunity in a "Dollar for Dollar" fashion, effectively matching Federal funds to Cost Share funds on a proportionate basis throughout the project. Applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum 10% cost share for Phase 1 and, should DOE choose to move forward with Phase 2 of this effort, a minimum 20% cost share will be required.

The following example shows the math for calculating required cost share for a project with $1,500,000 in Federal funds with two phases requiring different Non-federal cost share percentages:  

Phase             Proposed Federal Share   Required Federal Share %   Non-federal Cost Share %

Phase 1           $1,000,000                                             90%                                        10%

Phase 2           $500,000                                                 80%                                         20%

*Phase 1

$1,000,000 divided by 90% = $1,111,111 (Phase 1 Cost)

Phase 1 Cost minus federal share = Non-federal share

$1,111,111- $1,000,000 = $111,111 (Non-federal share)

*Phase 2

$500,000 divided 80% = $625,000 (Phase 2 Cost)

Phase 2 Cost minus federal share = Non-federal share

$625,000 - $500,000 = $125,000 (Non-federal share)

*Blended Cost Share %

Non-federal share ($236,111) divided by Total Project Cost ($1,736,111) = 13.6% (Non-federal) Federal share ($1,500,000) divided by Total Project Cost ($1,736,111) = 86.4% (Federal)

There are no requirements for industry participation on the project team, though it is encouraged.  The requirements for industry verification are that industry verification letters are included in the application package per the instructions on page 14 of the FOA, and included here for convenience:

“For certain indicators, applicants and awardees must submit verification from solar companies that the information provided with regard to the permitting and interconnection process is in line with what the industry has experienced.  This independent industry verification should be in the form of a letter (see Appendix E) signed by representatives from at least 2 companies in the residential PV business and at least 2 companies in the commercial PV business representing a significant portion of PV sales in the participating jurisdictions.”

The questions in the market assessment (Attachment 1) that require industry verification are marked “Yes” in the industry verification column of the Attachment 1 spreadsheets. 

Yes, non-profit or for-profit entities authorized to act on behalf of a consortia. Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

A. Eligible Applicants

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

• 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

State Energy Offices make appropriate lead applicants.  Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

A. Eligible Applicants

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

• 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

As stated on page 11 of the FOA, Phase 2 activities should focus on:

STATE/REGIONAL STANDARDIZATION OF PERMITTING PROCESSES:  Achieve implementation of common process framework for PV permitting throughout the awardee’s state, and more broadly if possible.

Applicants must have a letter from each third party (i.e., a party other than the organization submitting the application) indicating that the entity is supportive of the applicant’s proposal and will engage in activities as appropriate to help the applicant achieve the proposed objectives.  The total population represented by the entities participating on a team must be 500,000 or greater based on the 2010 Census. 

Please note that only the population of local jurisdictions that have committed to contribute cost-share (evidenced by Letters of Commitment) can count toward this 500,000 threshold. 

Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

A. Eligible Applicants

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

• 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

The date that is referred to under this section is the effective date of the award, not the proposal submission deadline.  As stated in the FOA, if the costs in question were incurred more than 90 calendar days immediately preceding the effective date of the award, Recipients must obtain the prior approval of the Contracting Officer. If recipients are State or Local Governments, they may not incur pre-award costs prior to award, without prior approval of the DOE Contracting Officer.

Please reference the applicable Federal cost principles referenced in 10 CFR part 600 for allowable costs.

Also note that pre-award costs are incurred at the applicant’s risk.  DOE is under no obligation to reimburse such costs if for any reason the applicant does not receive an award or if the award is made for a lesser amount than the applicant expected.

No, there is no limit to either the dollar amount or percentage of project funds that may be subcontracted by the primary applicant to a private sector contractor. 

The funding opportunity is designed to support teams in improving market conditions for rooftop PV, with the goal of enabling all teams to achieve a minimum of 800 out of 1000 points by the end of Phase 1, according to the point allocation described on page 13 of the FOA.  DOE encourages applicant teams to self-organize in the manner that will enable the team to achieve the most progress toward the goals of the funding opportunity. 

Please refer to the requirements for the summary slide on page 19 of the FOA, and included here for convenience:

A Project Summary in Power Point format should be provided using the template provided.  All information must fit on a single slide.  The Summary Slide may be released to the public by DOE, in whole or in part, at any time.  Therefore, it is required that the Project Summary must not contain proprietary or confidential business information. Save the Summary Slide as “Control#_ LeadOrganization_Summary.ppt.” Please submit file as a .PPT only (not PPTX or other formats).

 
While the summary slide template refers to a Technology Summary, please consider this slide a "Project Summary" as opposed to a "Technology Summary."  In other words, where the slide template asks for a one paragraph summary of technology, please provide a one paragraph summary of your proposed project.  Where the slide asks for a key picture or chart summarizing technology development, please provide a graphic depicting key activities or anticipated outcomes of your project. Where the slide asks for a quantitative description of technology impact, please provide a description of the expected impact of your project on market conditions for rooftop PV, including quantitative analysis to the extent possible.

Please refer to the requirements for the summary slide on page 19 of the FOA, and included here for convenience:

A Project Summary in Power Point format should be provided using the template provided.  All information must fit on a single slide.  The Summary Slide may be released to the public by DOE, in whole or in part, at any time.  Therefore, it is required that the Project Summary must not contain proprietary or confidential business information. Save the Summary Slide as “Control#_ LeadOrganization_Summary.ppt.” Please submit file as a .PPT only (not PPTX or other formats).

 
While the summary slide template refers to a Technology Summary, please consider this slide a "Project Summary" as opposed to a "Technology Summary."  In other words, where the slide template asks for a one paragraph summary of technology, please provide a one paragraph summary of your proposed project.  Where the slide asks for a key picture or chart summarizing technology development, please provide a graphic depicting key activities or anticipated outcomes of your project. Where the slide asks for a quantitative description of technology impact, please provide a description of the expected impact of your project on market conditions for rooftop PV, including quantitative analysis to the extent possible.

 
The Challenge is focused on achieving improvements in market conditions for rooftop PV systems, which represent the majority of residential and commercial-scale installations across the U.S. 

Applications that propose activities to achieve process improvements for market segments other than rooftop PV may be considered favorably compared to those that do not, all other aspects of the applications being equal.  In general, DOE's expectation is that the improvements made to permitting and interconnection processes for rooftop systems will have a positive ripple effect on processes for other market segments, including ground-mounted systems and larger-scale systems.  DOE recognizes that ground-mounted systems represent an important market opportunity, and will continue to monitor development in this market segment and make strategic investments to support market growth.

As Stated in Section III.B. of the FOA:

Applicants must provide a letter of commitment from the chief elected official of each participating jurisdiction that confirms that the jurisdiction will contribute a portion of the total cost share. 

 Please also refer to Section IV.C.8. of the FOA, provided below for your convenience:

8.    Letters of Commitment – (Mandatory)

Applicants must have a letter from each third party contributing cost share (i.e., a party other than the organization submitting the application) stating that the third party is committed to providing a specific minimum dollar amount of cost share.  All Letters of Commitment must be attached as an Appendix to the Project Narrative File.  Identify the following information for each third party contributing cost share: (1) the name of the organization; (2) the proposed dollar amount to be provided; (3) the amount as a percentage of the total project cost; and (4) the proposed type of cost share – cash, services, or property.  Letters of Commitment from parties participating in the project, exclusive of vendors, who will not be contributing cost share, but will be integral to the success of the project, must be included as part of this Appendix to the Narrative.  Letters of Commitment will not count towards the Project Narrative page limit.

Yes, as long as the applicant team meets the eligibility criteria listed in Section III.A. of the FOA, cited here for your convenience:

 It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

 •     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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

A State Energy Office is eligible to apply to this Funding Opportunity. For eligibility criteria, please refer to Section III.A. of the FOA, cited below for your convenience:

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

•     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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Please refer to eligibility criteria listed in Section III.A. of the FOA, cited here for your convenience:

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

•     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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

You are correct, the proposal should be written for both phases.  As stated on Page 11 of the FOA: Applicants must provide a preliminary plan for their potential participation in Phase 2 with the initial application.  Additionally, Section V.A.1. states that the plan for Phase 2 is a merit review criterion:

 Criterion 3: Plan for Increasing Market Maturity (Phase 2) Weight: 20%

*     Identification of specific, aggressive, yet realistic goals for Phase 2, and expected positive impact on solar market development if those goals are achieved.

*     Thoroughness and viability of plan and proposed budget to achieve Phase 2 goals, benchmarked against the level of effort proposed in Phase 1including identification of all necessary stakeholders and strategies for engaging those stakeholders. 

*     The extent to which the application quantifies the impact of the proposed changes in practices and policies identified in bullet one against an established set of practices and policies.

*     Extent to which applicant identifies potential challenges and risks to success, and proposes smart strategies for overcoming obstacles that arise.

Specific budget limits for Phase 2 are not included in this FOA.  However, Section II.B. states:

Subject to availability of appropriated funds, approximately $12.5 million is expected to be available for new awards made under this announcement to support work conducted under Phase 1. Should DOE decide to move forward with Phase 2 of this effort, it is anticipated that an additional $25-30 million will be provided, subject to annual appropriations. The funding will be allocated over a project period of up to three years (the period of performance for Phase 1 is one year; for Phase 2 it is up to two years). A go/no-go decision will be made for each awardee at the end of Phase 1, should DOE choose to move forward with the Phase 2 effort.

Each participating jurisdiction will provide responses to the questions in Attachment 1 to the FOA.  Each response is associated with a number of points.  The maximum possible amount of points for the different categories of questions is listed in Table 1 on page 13 of the FOA.  

The FTG (Freeing the Grid) report is the basis for the scoring within the Interconnection Standard and Net Metering Standard categories.  The maximum points attainable within each of these two categories is 100, as listed in Table 1.  Table 2 in the FOA provides a detailed conversion of FTG scores to Challenge scores for the Interconnection Standard and Net Metering categories. 

The Letter of Intent and application must be submitted by the Lead Applicant, in this case, the City.  Please also note that the Principal Investigator must be from the Lead Applicant's entity.  The non-profit would be a sub-recipient as you described.

The Lead Applicant should be aware of all requirements in the FOA, including cost share and required submission documents.

The lead applicant must provide a letter of commitment from the chief elected official of each jurisdiction contributing cost-share to the project.  It is only those jurisdictions that contribute cost-share and complete a market assessment (Attachment 1) as part of the application that will count toward the 500,000 population eligibility threshold. 

There is no requirement for a lead applicant to provide letters of commitment from all jurisdictions within a certain geographical area.

"If the feed-in-tariff affects the interconnection process, then that would be captured in the responses to the interconnection process questions.  Feed-in-tariffs would not qualify for points under question 4 of the Financing Options tab of Attachment 1 regarding Direct Finance Options.  "Financing program" as referenced in question 4 refers to a mechanism that enables a consumer to spread the cost of a PV system over time.  As stated on the Financing Options tab, the "other" category does not include direct rebate or subsidy programs, which for the purposes of this Challenge, includes feed-in-tariffs and other performance-based incentives. 

The Challenge supports DOE's SunShot Initiative to make solar electricity cost-competitive without subsidies by 2020.  While subsidies and rebates have been instrumental in developing solar markets, the Challenge aims to support market-based structures, programs and policies that will be successful in a non-subsidized environment.  Therefore, points are not awarded for existing or proposed direct incentive or subsidy programs."

The lead applicant must submit letters of commitment from the chief elected official of each participating jurisdiction.  These letters of commitment must reflect each's jurisdiction's commitment to contribute cost share and to work according to the proposed workplan.  If a non-profit or for-profit organization as lead applicant submits such letters from participating jurisdictions, the non-profit or for-profit organization is considered "authorized to act on behalf" of those jurisdictions for the purposes of the Challenge.

DOE cannot confirm an applicant's eligibility with limited provided information until DOE has reviewed the application during the normal review process. Please refer to Section III.A Eligible Applicants for specific eligibility requirements.

Generally, no entities that were involved in assisting DOE in crafting the Rooftop Challenge FOA are eligible to apply.  Further, no applicant may utilize any DOE funding received under other DOE arrangements (including funding received as a current provider of technical assistance for a Solar America Cities recipient) to work on any Rooftop Challenge applications. 

As long as the proposed applicant can meet the above requirements, their participation as a contractor or a subcontractor for a recipient under DOE's Solar America Cities program does not prevent the applicant from being eligible to apply under this FOA.

By the end of Phase 1, awardees are expected to meet or exceed a minimum score of 800 out of 1000 points, according to the point allocation described on page 13 of the FOA, in order to be eligible for Phase 2.  Awardees are expected to focus their Phase 1 efforts in areas that will enable them to achieve that minimum score.  It is possible that a jurisdiction will score a 70 out of 100 points for a given category.  Table 1 of the FOA is provided so that applicants can understand the maximum number of points possible within each of the action areas; it does not enable applicants to calculate their exact score. 

For the purposes of Phase 1 applications, applicants do not need to calculate their exact score; they simply need to respond to the questions in the market assessment (Attachment 1). For the initial award selection, DOE will evaluate all applications based on the merit review criteria listed on pages 28-29 of the FOA.

DOE will share the more detailed point allocation for the market assessment with applicants that are awarded Phase 1 funding.

The one-page abstract is part of the Letter of Intent.  As stated in the FOA:

The Letter of Intent must include the following information:

1.    Lead Applicant and names of all anticipated partners

2.    Title of the project

3.    One page abstract describing the project

4.    Estimated total DOE funding request

5.    The name of the Project Director/Principal Investigator(s)

The abstract should describe the entire project, which consists of both Phase 1 and Phase 2 activities.

134.  As stated in Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, the total population represented by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

The population represented by a given applicant is calculated as the sum of the populations of local jurisdictions that submit letters of commitment to participate on the team. 

The reference (Section V - Application Review Information A.2.) in the Project Narrative File requirement, Merit Review Criteria Discussion section is incorrect.  Instead, it should reference Section V - Application Review Information A.1. 

Yes, responses to questions 9-11 on the Interconnection Process tab are required, along with industry verification, regardless of the answer to Question 8. 

The response to Question 8 is a simple ""Yes"" or ""No"" based on whether there is a mechanism in place to track processing time for every application.  For Question 9, an average estimate must be provided for the application process time, regardless of the whether there is a formal tracking mechanism in place.  Same for Question 10 - an average estimate must be provided for the time between inspection request and inspection, regardless of whether there is a formal mechanism in place to track the actual time this step takes for every project.

For additional information related to these questions, view the Permitting and Interconnection webinar materials located at: http://www.solar.energy.gov/challenge. 

The letters of commitment used to determine whether the applicant has met the requisite 500,000 population threshold must be signed by individuals or groups that have the authority to legally bind the local unit of government.  If the COG board has the authority to commit jurisdictions to provide cost share and work according to the proposed workplan then the COG board may be the signatory to the letter of commitment. 

Also note, a team composed of multiple jurisdictions must submit one copy of Attachment 1 for each participating jurisdiction.  The Lead Applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application package includes one copy of Attachment 1 for each jurisdiction and that answers are based on the most accurate information available.  Files should be named according to the naming convention on p.25 of the FOA. 

For the purposes of applying to this funding opportunity, a county must subtract from its reported population the population of any jurisdictions within the county that do not provide letters of commitment to participate on the applicant team.

The exception to this rule is if a county is the authority-having-jurisdiction with regard to solar permitting for jurisdictions within the county.  In this case, a county may include the population of those jurisdictions in its reported population without providing letters of commitment from those jurisdictions. 

The Letter of Intent should be no more than two pages, and must include the following information:

 1.    Lead Applicant and names of all anticipated partners

2.    Title of the project

3.    One page abstract describing the project

4.    Estimated total DOE funding request

5.    The name of the Project Director/Principal Investigator(s)

There is no template for the letter of support.  As stated in Section IV.C.:

 Letters of Support – (Mandatory)

Applicants must have a letter from each third party (i.e., a party other than the organization submitting the application) indicating that the entity is supportive of the applicant’s proposal and will engage in activities as appropriate to help the applicant achieve the proposed objectives.  All Letters of Support must be attached as an Appendix to the Project Narrative File.  Letters of Support will not count towards the Project Narrative page limit.

 As long as the letter of support contains the necessary information, it will be acceptable to DOE.

No, DOE does not require a signature on the Letter of Intent.

501(c)(6) entities are eligible to apply; however, they must adhere to the lobbying restrictions and disclosures described in the FOA.

This FOA is not reoccurring; however, the due date for letters of intent and applications under this FOA has not expired.  Letters of Intent are due by 07/29/2011, 5:00pm Eastern Time and applications are due by 08/31/2011, 5:00pm Eastern Time.  For additional information, please refer to the FOA document at EERE eXCHANGE at http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange. 

 You are correct, a SF 424 is not required for submission of the Letter of Intent.  Please submit this question to the EERE eXCHANGE helpdesk at EERE-ExchangeSupport@hq.doe.gov.

The TRL section is not applicable to this FOA and has been removed from the application process.

1: Only the lead applicant should be listed in the SF-424 under Question 9.

2: As stated in Appendix B, employment information that is not PII even when associated with a name; resumes; present and past position titles and occupational series; etc. are examples of Public PII that Applicants may include in the Project Abstract, Project Narrative, Biographical Sketches, Budget or Budget Justification. The section is referenced here for your convenience:  

Listed below are examples of Public PII that Applicants may include in the files listed above to be evaluated by the Merit Review Committee:

1.    Phone numbers (work, home, cell)

2.    Street addresses (work and personal)

3.    Email addresses (work and personal)

4.    Digital pictures

5.    Medical information included in a health or safety report

6.    Employment information that is not PII even when associated with a name

7.    Resumes, unless they include a Social Security Number

8.    Present and past position titles and occupational series

9.    Present and past grades

10.   Present and past annual salary rates (including performance awards or bonuses, incentive awards, merit pay amount, Meritorious or Distinguished Executive Ranks, and allowances and differentials)

11.   Present and past duty stations and organization of assignment (includes room and phone numbers, organization designations, work email address, or other identifying information regarding buildings, room numbers, or places of employment)

12.   Position descriptions, identification of job elements, and those performance standards (but not actual performance appraisals) that the release of which would not interfere with law enforcement programs or severely inhibit agency effectiveness

13.   Security clearances held

14.   Written biographies (e.g. to be used in a program describing a speaker)

15.   Academic credentials

16.   Schools attended

17.   Major or area of study

18.   Personal information stored by individuals about themselves on their assigned workstation or laptop unless it contains a Social Security Number

Applicants should include in their resume submissions, the information included in Section IV.C.5., referenced below:

5.    Resume File (Mandatory)

Provide a resume for each key person proposed, including subawardees and consultants if they meet the definition of key person.  A key person is any individual who contributes in a substantive, measurable way to the execution of the project.  Save all resumes in a single file named “Control#_ LeadOrganization_Resumes.PDF.” 

The compiled resume file does not have a page limitation; however, the biographical information for each individual resume must not exceed 2 pages when printed on 8.5” by 11” paper with 1 inch margins (top, bottom, left, and right), single spaced, with font not smaller than 11 point and should include the following information, if applicable:

Education and Training:  Undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral training; provide institution, major/area, degree and year.

Professional Experience:  Beginning with the current position list, in chronological order, professional/academic positions with a brief description.

Publications:  Provide a list of up to 10 publications most closely related to the proposed project.  For each publication, identify the names of all authors (in the same sequence in which they appear in the publication), the article title, book or journal title, volume number, page numbers, year of publication, and website address, if available electronically. 

Patents, copyrights and software systems developed may be provided in addition to, or substituted for, publications.

Synergistic Activities:  List no more than 5 professional and scholarly activities related to the effort proposed.

•     Of the key personnel identified in this file, indicate the Principal Investigator(s) (PI). 

•     For Multiple Principal Investigators:   

The applicant, whether a single organization or team/partnership/consortium, must indicate if the project will include multiple PIs.  The decision to use multiple PIs for a project is the sole responsibility of the applicant.  If multiple PIs will be designated, the application must identify the Contact PI/Project Coordinator and provide a “Coordination and Management Plan” that describes the organization structure of the project as it pertains to the designation of multiple PIs.  This plan should, at a minimum, include:

•     Process for making decisions on scientific/technical direction;

•     Publications;

•     Intellectual property issues;

•     Communication plans;

•     Procedures for resolving conflicts; and

•     PIs’ roles and administrative, technical and scientific responsibilities for the project

As stated in Section III.C. of the FOA, DOE/National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Federal Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and non-DOE FFRDC’s, are not eligible to apply.  Therefore, they may not be paid with grant funds through this Funding Opportunity Announcement.

For the purposes of applying to this funding opportunity, a county must subtract from its reported population the population of any jurisdictions within the county that do not provide letters of commitment to participate on the applicant team.

The exception to this rule is if a county is the authority-having-jurisdiction with regard to solar permitting for jurisdictions within the county.  In this case, a county may include the population of those jurisdictions in its reported population without providing letters of commitment from those jurisdictions.

For the purposes of the Financing Options section of the Market Assessment, the answer options for the community solar questions are not limited to rooftop installations.

Questions #1 and #2 in the Financing Options section of the Market Assessment cover two different types of leasing options for a solar system. Question #1 refers to third party ownership leases whereby the customer enters into a service contract with a lessor (the owner) of a PV system and agrees to make fixed monthly lease payments (regardless of system generation) over time. The customer does not purchase power from a third party but simply leases equipment and receives the power generated by that equipment. Question #2 refers to utility rooftop solar programs, whereby the utility owns the electricity produced by a system while the building owner receives lease payments for hosting the system (i.e. providing the roof space).

Typically, under a third-party PPA model, a developer builds and owns a PV system on a customer’s property and sells the power back to the customer. Under a solar lease, the customer does not purchase power from a third party but simply leases equipment and receives the power generated by that equipment.

 In both cases the relationship with the utility can vary depending on the details of the third party ownership lease or PPA and the state and/or PUC rules and regulations. For example, depending on the state, qualifying facilities for net metering may or may not include customer-generators that do not own their PV system.

For the purposes of the Financing Options section of the Market Assessment, the answer options for the community solar questions are not limited to rooftop installations.

You may search for grant opportunities through the EERE eXCHANGE website at http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange <http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange>  or through grants.gov (click on Find Grant Opportunities on the left hand side of the screen).

The Letter of Intent deadline has now passed.  All Letter of Intent submissions must have been made via the EERE eXCHANGE at http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange. To gain access to the EERE eXCHANGE system, the applicant must first register and create an account on the main EERE eXCHANGE site.  This account will then allow the user to register for any open EERE FOAs that are currently in eXCHANGE.  A “User Guide” for the EERE eXCHANGE can be found on the EERE website http://eere.energy.gov/financing/exchange/Manuals.aspx after logging in to the system.  Applicants will receive an automated response when the Letter of Intent or Application is received; this will serve as a confirmation of EERE receipt – please do not reply to the automated response.

155.  The Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) Freeing the Grid (2010) report has a few anomalies, such as CA’s score for system capacity, which are the result of NNEC using discretion to account for specific factors associated with each state that do not fit neatly into the answer options. As noted in the Webinar 3 presentation (Slide 9) and transcript, the Freeing the Grid total score for each state under Interconnection includes an additional 7.5 points to normalize grading with Net Metering. Note that these points are not added to the Freeing the Grid Net Metering scores. DOE will account for the 7.5 points for Interconnection when comparing the market assessment to the Freeing the Grid score.

If the answer options in the market assessment do not apply to your situation, you should mark the closest answer provided in the multiple choice options, and add any clarifying comments in the Data Sources/Notes column.

156.  The Challenge aims to support market-based structures, programs and policies that will be successful in a non-subsidized environment.  Applicants may describe approaches to facilitating PV financing that are not specifically addressed in other questions in the Question #7 (“Other”) area of the Financing Options tab of Attachment 1. 

Note that for the purposes of Phase 1 applications, applicants do not need to calculate their exact score; they simply need to respond to the questions in the market assessment (Attachment 1).  For the initial award selection, DOE will evaluate all applications based on the merit review criteria listed on pages 28-29 of the FOA.

If the non-profit entity is a subrecipient under the proposal, the non-profit entity must submit a budget and budget justification (please see section IV.C.10 and IV.C.11 of the FOA for specific requirements of the sub-recipient budget and budget justification).  As described, the Cities would also be considered subrecipients (to the non-profit), and need to submit letters of commitment and budget justifications as they are committing cost-share and performing activities to achieve the goals of the proposal. 

No the LOI does not require an official Signature on the LOI document before submitting.  Please reference Question 141 on the Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/FAQ.aspx?FoaId=d7fc28a9-cd94-4548-b0ea-4713432c90fd. 

No, we will ot be releasing information on total number of LOIs received under this FOA.

For specific information regarding the valuation of services and property, please reference the administrative Cost Share requirements in 10 CFR 600.123, 10 CFR 600.224 and 10 CFR 600.313 by entity type. Recipient contributions of services and property shall also be established in accordance with the applicable cost principles by entity type, 2 CFR 225, 2 CFR 230, 2 CFR 220, and FAR 31.2.  A general rule of thumb is to ask the question, "What is the fair market value?" 

Letters of Commitment are required to state the dollar value of the provided cash, services and/or property.  While it is helpful to provide the valuation method in the letter, this is not required.  If the valuation method is not included in the letter, and the applicant is selected for negotiation of an award, the applicant will be asked to provide the valuation method during the negotiation process.

No, the one-page Summary for Public Release is not the same as the SOPO.  You are correct, there is not a template for the one-page summary. 

 If the applicant is selected for negotiation of an award, the information in the one-page Summary for Public Release will potentially be used in a press release, whereas the SOPO will become part of the legal award document, (description of the work the applicant agrees to perform under the award).

The SOPO is called out by name in item 13 of the "Content and Form of Application" in Section IV of the FOA.

Attachment 1 has seven worksheets, not four.  Please scroll to the "Permitting Process" tab of Attachment 1, which corresponds to Slide 7 of Webinar 1.

Please use period of performance dates that reflect the combined project period for both Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Cost share funds are subject to the same restrictions as DOE share, therefore, national labs may neither receive funds under this FOA, nor provide cost share.

At this point in time, DOE does not anticipate extending the final application submission deadline.

DOE expects notify applicants selected for negotiation of an award by the end of October 2011.  This notice of selection is not an authorization to begin performance.  As stated in Section VI.A of the FOA, organizations whose applications have not been selected will be advised as promptly as possible.  This notice will explain why the application was not selected. 

Applicants who are selected for negotiation of an award can expect the award to be finalized by mid-December 2011, however, the award date is contingent upon the applicant's responsiveness during the negotiation process.  Non-responsiveness during negotiation will delay the award date.  Once the award is signed, applicants may begin work.

The project timetable should reflect activities for the combined project period for both Phase 1 and Phase 2, with greater emphasis on Phase 1, as that is the focus of the current funding opportunity.

Correct. Industry verification for questions in the interconnection process section must be provided by companies active in the service area of the primary load serving utility for each jurisdiction participating in the application.

The budget should cover both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the project.  Please refer to Criterion 3 under Section V.A.1. of the FOA: Thoroughness and viability of plan and proposed budget to achieve Phase 2 goals, benchmarked against the level of effort proposed in Phase 1 including identification of all necessary stakeholders and strategies for engaging those stakeholders.  

As stated in Section II.B. of the FOA: Subject to availability of appropriated funds, approximately $12.5 million is expected to be available for new awards made under this announcement to support work conducted under Phase 1. Should DOE decide to move forward with Phase 2 of this effort, it is anticipated that an additional $25-30 million will be provided, subject to annual appropriations.

As stated in Section III.B. of the FOA: Applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum 10% cost share for Phase 1 and, should DOE choose to move forward with Phase 2 of this effort, a minimum 20% cost share will be required. Cost share may consist of cash or in-kind contributions from the lead applicant or partners. Also note that the required minimum applicant cost share percentage is not based on the Federal share but, rather, is based on the Total Project Cost.

174.  The DOE Point of Contact for Industry Verification Letters and Letters of Support is:
 

Todd Wilson

Contracting Officer,

US Department of Energy Golden Field Office

1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO  80401

 However, all Industry Verification Letters and Letters of Support that are directed to DOE and follow the requirements detailed in Section IV.C. and Appendix E of the FOA document will be accepted. 

The anticipated $25 to $30 million mentioned in Section II.B. is the total Phase 2 funding anticipated to be available for all recipients who proceed to Phase 2 (in aggregate).

The "research and development" mentioned in Section IV.C.2, "Summary for Public Release" section of the FOA should read "project".  The Summary for Public Release should provide a concise statement of the proposed project.

Yes, in the “Permitting Process” tab of Attachment 1, Question 18’s “Specific Time” range should read “5-8 hours” for the third option. 

As stated in Section III.A. of the FOA, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

•                    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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau .

Unfortunately, the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program (SETP) does not currently provide direct funds to homeowners/ consumers for solar applications at this time. However, the Federal Government does provide a tax credit for installing qualified solar water heating and photovoltaic systems. More information on the Residential Solar Tax Credit can be found at: http://www.dsireusa.org/library/includes/incentive2.cfm?Incentive_Code=US37F&State=Federal¤tpageid=1&ee=0&re=1. 

Unfortunately, costs that are incurred prior to an applicant being selected for negotiations leading to an award may not be counted towards the cost share requirement.

Furthermore, if recipients are State or Local Governments, they may not incur pre-award costs prior to award, without prior approval of the DOE Contracting Officer. DOE will not approve any pre-award costs before an applicant has been selected.

Please see Section IV.G. of the Funding Opportunity for specific information regarding pre-award costs. 

As stated in Question #162 on the EERE Exchange website, DOE will not be releasing information on the number of Letters of Intent received.

 The lead applicant must provide a letter of commitment from the chief elected official of each jurisdiction contributing cost-share to the project.  It is only those jurisdictions that contribute cost-share and complete a market assessment (Attachment 1) as part of the application that will count toward the 500,000 population eligibility threshold.  The entire population of the state would count toward the eligibility threshold only if every authority-having jurisdiction in the state provides a letter of commitment as part of the application package. If the state is the authority-having jurisdiction with regard to solar permitting then the state as lead applicant is not required to provide letters of commitment of market assessments from individual jurisdictions.

Mayors are elected officials. In the case of a council form of government the letter of commitment may be signed by an individual or group that has authority to legally bind the local unit of government.

Personnel labor is acceptable cost share. However, in-kind contributions represent non-cash transactions, in the case of personnel hours it would represent volunteer labor hours. If the individual is paid salary by the organization, it would be considered cash cost share.

Yes, please assume a value for Phase 2, benchmarked against the level of effort proposed in Phase 1.  The Phase 2 budget will be reviewed on the basis of its thoroughness and viability to achieve Phase 2 goals.  Please refer to Criterion 3 under Section V.A.1 of the FOA. 

The scoring options are correct for #4 on the NNEC Net Metering tab in Attachment 1. The options reflect those provided in the Freeing the Grid (2010) report. The Freeing the Grid report consolidates the “Metering Provisions” options with the “Metering Provisions Under Time-of-Use” options, whereas these two topics are separated in questions #4 and #5 on the Net Metering tab of Attachment 1.

The Network for New Energy Choices (NNEC) Freeing the Grid (2010) report has a few anomalies, which are the result of NNEC using discretion to account for specific factors associated with each state that do not fit neatly into the answer options.  If the answer options in the market assessment do not apply to your situation, you should mark the closest answer provided in the multiple choice options, and add any clarifying comments in the Data Sources/Notes column.

The Letters of Intent that have been invited to submit a full application have now been indicated in the Exchange system.  Please log in to your account and proceed to the full application to begin entering information online. 

All participating jurisdictions (those jurisdictions that count toward the 500,000 population eligibility threshold) must commit Phase 1 cost-share, but are not required to commit Phase 2 cost-share. Please note the Cost Sharing requirements in Section III.B. of the Funding Opportunity.  

That is correct, the chief elected official of each jurisdiction does NOT have to ALSO provide a Letter of Support.  The chief elected official need only provide a Letter of Commitment.

Please leave Question 13 on the SF-424 Application for Financial Assistance blank.

For Phase 2, applicants should propose a budget and plan focused on the following (as stated on page 11 of the FOA): “STATE/REGIONAL STANDARDIZATION OF PERMITTING PROCESSES:  Achieve implementation of common process framework for PV permitting throughout the awardee’s state, and more broadly if possible.”

For now, please continue working on your application with the intent of submitting it by the current deadline of August 31st.  If the hurricane does in fact cause significant damage, we will revisit the issue of an extension at that time. 

A section for Industry Verification Letters has been added to the upload screen in Exchange. 

No, there is not a template for the Budget Justification.  Applicants are encouraged to present the information in their own excel document.

Yes, only subrecipients receiving $100,000 or greater should submit a separate SF-424 and budget justification.

The most recent amendment for DE-FOA-0000549 Rooftop Solar Challenge is Amendment 002.  The notice you received may have been for a different Funding Opportunity Announcement. 

Yes, the applicant is assured of patent and copyright protections for any proprietary licensed software developed outside the grant.  However, per 10 CFR 600.234, the DOE "reserves a royalty-free, nonexclusive, and irrevocable license to reproduce, publish or otherwise use, and to authorize others to use, for Federal Government purposes:

(a) The copyright in any work developed under a grant, subgrant, or contract under a grant or subgrant; and

(b) Any rights of copyright to which a grantee, subgrantee or a contractor purchases ownership with grant support." 

Yes, it is possible to be the lead applicant on one application, and a commitment partner on a separate application.  Please ensure that if both proposals were selected, you would have sufficient funding to meet both cost share commitments.

 Yes, it is acceptable to change the name of the project for the final grant application.

A & B:      An option to upload additional files has been added to the upload screen in Exchange.  You may upload multiple subrecipient documentation as well as rate agreements there.

C:    Please use the separately provided document uploads for Letters of Commitment and Letters of Support.  Use the following naming conventions: "Control#_ LeadOrganization_CommitmentLetters" or "Control#_ LeadOrganization_ SupportLetters", as appropriate.

D:    The following naming convention should be used for the Industry Verification Letters:  "Control#_ LeadOrganization_IndustryLetters".

E.    The Certifications and Assurances are incorporated by reference in Question 21 of the SF-424 Application.  The full document can be found at http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/CERTSASSURANCESSF424.pdf.  The authorized representative's signature on the SF-424 will constitute agreement to the certifications and assurances found in the document above.

No, the Industry Verification Letters must be submitted with the grant application.

It is preferable to have an ink signature on these forms (print, sign, scan).  However, if you have digital signature software, that is also acceptable. Please ensure the digital signature uploaded correctly and is legible before submitting.  Simply leaving the signature line blank and uploading the file will not constitute a digital signature.

If your utility differentiates the interconnection process based on whether the installation is above or below 100 kW, use the process defined for installations equal to or less than 100 kW for checking responses under the residential column of the market assessment, and the utility’s process for installations above 100 kW for responses under the commercial column.

If there is no capacity to add projects larger than 100 kW, and there is only one process for projects under 100 kW, then base answers in the residential and commercial response columns on the same process. If the issue is not that capacity cannot be added, but rather a lack of an established process for projects over 100 kW, then base commercial responses on averages and estimates of typical 100+ kW projects.

You may include comments in the Data Sources/Notes column to explain or justify answers.

If the state is the authority-having jurisdiction (AHJ) with regard to solar permitting then the state as lead applicant is not required to provide letters of commitment or market assessments from participating individual jurisdictions. However, any jurisdiction that asserts its own authority regarding permitting, will need to sign a letter of commitment and complete the market assessment in order for that jurisdiction’s population to be included toward the total applicant team population.

It is not the intent of this FOA to fund solar installation projects.  Rather, this FOA seeks to fund projects that improve the policies, processes and standards that currently hinder solar installations.  Please refer to the "Phase 1 Action Areas" described in Section I of the FOA:

•         PERMITTING AND INTERCONNECTION PROCESSES: Develop and implement a transparent, consistent, and expedient permitting and interconnection process for residential (less than approximately 10kW) and small commercial (less than approximately 300kW) rooftop PV systems, throughout all participating jurisdictions.

•         NET METERING AND INTERCONNECTION STANDARDS: Improve interconnection and net metering standards, as evaluated by the Network for New Energy Choices grading scheme, for the primary load-serving utility in each participating jurisdiction.

•         FINANCING OPTIONS: Increase distributed PV market activity in models other than self-financed ownership by enabling direct financing options, community solar programs, and/or utility-owned distributed generation and resolving legal issues around third party ownership models.

•         PLANNING AND ZONING: Remove siting restrictions and incorporate favorable provisions in state and local codes and land use policies in every participating jurisdiction to maximize PV siting options.

Upon selection, recipients must obtain the prior approval of the Contracting Officer for any pre-award costs that are for periods greater than a 90 day calendar period preceding the receipt of the Assistance Agreement signed by the Contracting Officer. Approval for pre-award costs greater than this 90 day period can be requested from the Contracting Officer if an applicant is selected for negotiations leading to award.  The earliest pre-award cost date is the date of the selection, which will likely be by the end of October 2011.

If recipients are State or Local Governments, they may not incur pre-award costs prior to award, without prior approval of the DOE Contracting Officer. 

 Award recipients will likely not be selected until October 2011.  DOE will not release specific contact information, however, a public announcement of selected applicants will likely be made at the time of selection.

The most updated version of the FOA is Amendment 002, which is posted on the Exchange website at https://eere-exchange.energy.gov.  For any additional updates / clarifications on this FOA, please read the Questions & Answers posted at: https://eere-exchange.energy.gov/FAQ.aspx?FoaId=d7fc28a9-cd94-4548-b0ea-4713432c90fd

As stated in Question 194, there is not a template for the Budget Justification.  Applicants are encouraged to present the information in their own excel document.

For now, please continue working on your application with the intent of submitting it by the current deadline of August 31st.  If you have experienced significant power outages and other obstacles to completing the application due to the hurricane, please submit documentation of the problem and we will consider extensions on a case by case basis.

ANSWER: Eligibility for this Funding Opportunity is restricted to entities with a population of 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau. If an applicant is awarded a grant, and one of the municipalities later decides to withdraw from the project and reduces the project below the population minimum criteria, the project team will need to replace this municipality in order to maintain eligibility for funding. If an entity no longer meets eligibility criteria at any time during an award, DOE reserves the right to discontinue funding the award.

If you do not have a currently approved Federal Rate Agreement, please apply your organizations actual fringe rates, or forecast these rates if need be. Appropriate and approved rates will be negotiated if you are selected for award.

If you do not have a Federal Rate Agreement for fringe costs, please apply your organizations actual fringe rates. Appropriate and approved rates will be negotiated if you are selected for award. You may detail the components of the fringe costs in your budget justification (e.g., health insurance - $400 per person, etc.)

Yes, you are correct, you may submit 25 separate Attachment 1s, one per jurisdiction.  Please upload the files in the "Additional Files" section of the Exchange website's document upload screen.

This problem has been fixed, and the Additional Files upload option is now available.  Please note that the application deadline has been extended to 9/9/2011 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. 

Applicants must provide a letter of support from the primary load-serving electric utility for each participating jurisdiction. As listed in Section IV.C of the FOA, the letters of support are required documents to be included in the application submission. DOE reserves the right to deem applications non-responsive if these requirements are not met. However, consideration may be given to incomplete applications if the absent material does not significantly affect the integrity of the proposal.

Please note the Funding Opportunity closing date has been extended to 09/09/2011. This may allow sufficient time for the utility to review your proposal. 

Please enter the Federal Share and Non-Federal Share for both Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Both Phase 1 and Phase 2 costs should be included in the Budget Justification file.  Please see section IV.C.7 of the FOA for more information on the Budget Justification.

Please refer to Section III.A., Eligible Applicants, in the FOA.  It is referenced here for your convenience:

A. Eligible Applicants

It is intended to restrict eligibility for this FOA to applicant entities that satisfy the following requirements:

• 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 Indian Tribes; 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 by eligible entities for this FOA must be 500,000 or greater as defined by the 2010 report of the U.S. Census Bureau.

It is not the intent of this Funding Opportunity to utilize funding to make loans, fund revolving loan programs or fund loan loss reserves.  However, recipients may use award funds for the administrative costs of creating such programs. As described in "Phase 1 Action Areas" in Section I of the FOA, Phase 1 funds in the "Financing Options" category should be used to create the policy and process framework, resolve legal issues, and otherwise promote financing models other than self-financed ownership.

Yes, the application deadline is extended to 9/9/2011 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.  Please refer to Amendment 003 of the FOA.

Unfortunately, only applicants who submitted a letter of intent by 7/29/2011 are eligible to apply for this FOA.  Please visit www.Grants.gov to search for other funding opportunities.

If there are no additional existing solar installations within your jurisdiction, the jurisdiction is not required to submit any additional industry verification letters.

As stated in Question # 221 on the Exchange website, only applicants who submitted a letter of intent by 7/29/2011 are eligible to apply for this FOA.  Please visit www.Grants.gov to search for other funding opportunities.

No, please use the separately provided document upload for Industry Verification Letters (the last section on the upload screen in Exchange).