Biogas and Biomass to Energy Grant Program

When funding becomes available, announcements will appear in the Program Announcements Section of the Energy and Recycling Homepage. The Renewable Energy Resources Program (RERP) promotes the development of renewable energy in Illinois. This program is funded by the Renewable Energy Resources Trust Fund (RERTF) -- the state's public benefits fund -- and is administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), with assistance from the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The focus of the Biogas and Biomass to Energy Grant Program, through the RERP, is to demonstrate the use of biogas and biomass for on-site energy generation at facilities in Illinois. Projects designed to use biogas or biomass as a source of fuel to produce electricity with combined heat and power (CHP) through gasification, co-firing or anaerobic digestion technologies are being targeted. The biogas and biomass grant program will provide a 50% cost-share for energy feasibility studies or for the installation of equipment for these purposes. The maximum grants available for feasibility studies, biogas projects, and biomass projects are $2,500, $225,000, and $500,000, respectively. All projects must be located in Illinois within the service areas of utilities that contribute to the RERTF (through a Renewable Energy Resources and Coal Technology Development Assistance Charge). Applications are available on the program web site.