State Makes Gap Energy Grants Available to Municipalities, Non-Profits and Small Businesses
BOSTON — Continuing with its efforts to provide Massachusetts municipalities, non-profits and small businesses with clean energy assistance, the Baker-Polito Administration announced the launch of the Gap III Energy Grant Program, which is designed to implement energy efficiency and clean energy facility upgrades to qualified entities.
The program will make available up to $5 million to municipal drinking water and wastewater facilities, and up to $2.5 million to non-profit affordable housing, food- and agricultural-producing organizations and small business food-distribution and processing organizations across the Commonwealth. Interested entities can apply or learn more about the program, which is managed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), by visiting the program’s webpage.
"The Gap III Energy Grant Program will complement the Commonwealth’s proactive work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by providing significant funding to reduce energy use, lower operating costs, increase energy efficiency, or install clean energy at these facilities," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides. "This innovative grant program will help the state reach our emissions limit of a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050."
The Gap grant program will expedite implementation of previously assessed energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects at qualified facilities. The program is designed to fill the last "gap" in project financing as facilities utilize utility incentives and other sources to build on install selected energy efficiency and clean energy projects. Previously reserved for municipal water facilities, the Gap grant has expanded its program to allow non-profits and small businesses in the agricultural, affordable housing, food-producing, and processing space to gain access to additional funding to implement energy savings that will reach deeper into communities across Massachusetts.
"The Gap Energy Grant Program seeks to build on its success in the water utility sector by providing Gap funding to additional facilities, which will present significant opportunities for energy cost savings through building energy efficiency upgrades, installation of clean energy, and energy storage systems," said MassDEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg. "This expanded program will provide an opportunity for eligible entities to reinvest the financial savings into their facilities and communities, and move us closer to the state’s decarbonization and emissions reduction goals."
These new sectors will benefit as municipal water facilities have in the past two rounds of Gap grants – helping 64 drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities increase operational efficiencies, while also saving more than $2.5 million in energy costs and producing more than 24,000 megawatt-hours in electricity savings from efficiency and on-site renewable power generation and reducing carbon emissions by nearly 18,000 metric tons each year.
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