Have you really really been wanting to get a flywheel energy storage (FES) project going, but were short a million or two? The window of opportunity to apply for your share of the $3 million available for the New Technology Implementation Grant (NTIG) Program will be opening soon. Now’s your time to shine!
The idea behind the program is to incentive new technology that uses renewable energy and reduces emissions, specifically regulated pollutants from point sources. Ideal applicants would be would be electricity storage projects related to renewable energy like Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), pumped hydropower, sodium sulfur storage batteries, and flywheels — but really any new technology that reduces emissions will qualify! This is by no means free money though, it is a rebate and you must be able to match grant funds with a little moola of your own.
Applicants will have 3 opportunities to cast their line at the big grant fish. After the first go-round, if all of the money has not been granted out to renewable energy storage technologies, advanced clean energy projects (cough cough, clean coal) will have an opportunity to apply. After that application period, if there is any money left, the grant will once again be open to energy storage projects. And next year, they’ll do the whole thing all over again!
The grant is the result of hard-won legislation passed in the spring of 2009. The original legislation put the pool of money at $10 million, but that amount was cut significantly due to Governor Perry’s attempts to balance the budget out. We’re pretty sad that the Guv cut funds from this program to encourage both Emerging and Advanced technologies, but it certainly wasn’t up to us. Hopefully Texas entrepreneurs will be able to do well with what is available, and we’ll see new technology supported and significant emissions reductions as a result.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
