Long-awaited funds for solar come from stimulus(Via Washington Business Journal- by Vandana Sinha)After years of zero financial incentives for alternative-energy enthusiasts, Virginia is bursting out of the starting gate with tens of millions of stimulus dollars just for renewable-energy aid.The state plans to set aside $39 million from its $70 million share of the federal stimulus package to help residents, businesses, nonprofits, schools and government agencies summon electricity and heat from the sun and wind.While the state must still apply for those funds from the U.S. Energy Department, the proposed dollar figure has astonished even the strongest advocates for incentives to support renewable-energy projects, especially in a state that has long trailed Maryland and the District in that department.When this year’s General Assembly ended with the death of yet another incentives bill — one that offered $2 million in tax credits to residents and corporations for renewable energy — supporters had pinned their hopes for financial help on the stimulus money.Now renewable-energy companies, many of whom log at least a half-dozen calls a week from interested Northern Virginia residents, see more customers and more employees down the road.“It’s finally going to let them catch up and play in the game,” said Jay Madison, a D.C. renewable energy consultant with Energy and Environment Inc., a Spotsylvania-based clean-energy systems installer that said it could more than double its roughly three-person presence in the Washington area.The $39 million pot is expected to be divvied into three portions. One is for local governments to invest in schools and municipal buildings. Another is for state-owned buildings, including those at universities and prisons. The third portion, perhaps as much as $15 million, will reimburse homeowners, companies and nonprofit groups for their wind and solar power investments.The state is still too early in the planning process to give many details on the incentives, but Virginia officials envision renewable-energy rebates, likely doled out after installation is complete and the bills are paid for residential and smaller commercial projects.If their request to the Energy Department is approved, they expect some money to start flowing as early as July.But it’s been a long wait for the state officials who have been pushing for a renewable-energy program.“It hasn’t got much support, but it’s probably the No. 1 issue I’m contacted about,” said Ken Jurman, renewable program manager at the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy. “It has been over the last couple of years, and it’s been increasing over those years.”The new federal money doesn’t mean the end to his problems, however.That money runs out in September 2010, and Jurman, a self-described eternal optimist, acknowledges that he could still have trouble getting legislative backing then.The amount of support would depend on the number of new jobs or company relocations associated with the incentives — numbers Jurman’s office will track through stimulus mandates.Energy advocates worry about the consequences if the incentives disappear after merely a year.“It looks like we’re going to grow very easily, but it’s not going to shrink easily,” said Peter Lowenthal, executive director of the Maryland-District of Columbia-Virginia Solar Energy Industries Association, which is advising the Virginia agency on the renewable-energy rebate program. “It will be a shot in the arm. People will get some training, so that’s a good thing. But it won’t really meet the goals of the stimulus in order to create permanent job growth.”Madison said the marketing campaign for the incentives and the ease of the rebate application process will determine the community’s appetite for the program — in turn, determining his hiring plans and, thus, a legislator’s support for more incentives.“A smart company would stay lean and expand just enough to |