Vermont will receive two U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grants to help connect renewable energy projects to the grid and improve energy efficiency.
The DOE grants, totaling $629,966 are part of a $5 million funding effort in 13 states to advance innovative approaches for local clean energy development.
One of the grants will go to a partnership being set up between the state Department of Public Service and Vermont's largest electric utility, Green Mountain Power. The goal is to standardize and streamline how Vermont interconnects and distributes the generation of renewable energy into the grid. The other grant will support energy efficiency in the state.
The grant will also develop a single online application for permitting and connecting small energy projects to the grid and tools to monitor and better understand the electric distribution grid.
‘With these funds, we will build on our national model for energy efficiency by focusing on ways to increase investment in efficient technologies for our buildings,’ says Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin. ‘We will also enhance our efforts to connect more solar and renewable energy to the grid.’
