Section 50-23-21. Grants for clean energy property; rules and regulations; annual report

   (a) As used in this Code section, the term:

   (1) "Authority" means the Georgia Environmental Finance Authority.

   (2) "Clean energy property" includes any of the following:

      (A) Solar energy equipment that uses solar radiation as a substitute for traditional energy for water heating, active and passive space heating and cooling, generating electricity, distillation, desalinization, or the production of industrial or commercial process heat, as well as related devices necessary for collecting, storing, exchanging, conditioning, or converting solar energy to other useful forms of energy;

      (B) Energy Star certified geothermal heat pump systems;

      (C) Energy efficient projects as follows:

         (i)  Lighting retrofit projects. "Lighting retrofit project" means a lighting retrofit system that employs dual switching (ability to switch roughly half the lights off and still have fairly uniform light distribution), delamping, daylighting, relamping, or other controls or processes which reduce annual energy and power consumption by 30 percent compared to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers 2004 standard (ASHRAE 90.1.2004); and

         (ii)  Energy efficient buildings. "Energy efficient building" means for other than single-family residential property new or retrofitted buildings that are designed, constructed, and certified to exceed the standards set forth in the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers 2004 standard (ASHRAE 90.1.2004) by 30 percent; and

      (D) Wind equipment required to capture and convert wind energy into electricity or mechanical power as well as related devices that may be required for converting, conditioning, and storing the electricity produced by wind equipment.

   (3) "Cost" means:

      (A) In the case of clean energy property owned by a person, cost is the aggregate funds actually invested and expended by a person to put into service the clean energy property; and

      (B) In the case of clean energy property a person leases from another, cost is eight times the net annual rental rate, which is the annual rental rate paid by the person less any annual rental rate received by the person from subrentals.

   (4) "Installation" means the year in which the clean energy property is put into service and becomes eligible for a grant allowed by this Code section.

(b) (1) The authority may issue a grant to any person for the construction, purchase, or lease of clean energy property that is placed into service in this state, other than in single-family residential structures, between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2012, subject to the provisions of this Code section.

   (2) A person that receives a grant allowed under this Code section shall not be eligible to claim any tax credit under Code Section 48-7-29.14 or any other grant under this Code section with respect to the same clean energy property.

   (3) A person shall not receive a grant allowed in this Code section for clean energy property the person leases from another unless such person obtains the lessor's written certification that the lessor will not receive a grant under this Code section or claim a credit under Code Section 48-7-29.14 with respect to the same clean energy property.

   (4) Grants shall not be issued under this Code section except to effect participation in a federal government program which authorizes the use of federal funds for purposes of this Code section. In no event shall the total amount of grants allowed by this Code section exceed federal funds allocated by the authority for such purposes. No funds derived from any other sources shall be granted under this Code section.

   (5) (A) Any person seeking any grant provided for under this Code section shall submit an application to the authority for approval of such grant. The authority shall promulgate the forms on which the application is to be submitted. The authority shall review such application and shall approve such application upon determining that it meets the requirements of this Code section within 60 days after receiving such application, subject to availability of funds as provided by paragraph (4) of this subsection.

      (B) To apply for a grant allowed by this Code section, the person shall provide any information required by the authority. Every person receiving a grant under this Code section shall maintain and make available for inspection by the authority any records that the authority considers necessary to determine and verify the amount of the grant to which the person is entitled. The burden of proving eligibility for a grant and the amount of the grant shall rest upon the applicant, and no grant shall be allowed to a person that fails to maintain adequate records or to make them available for inspection.

      (C) The authority shall issue the grants on a first come, first served basis. In no event shall the aggregate amount of grants approved by the authority for all applicants under this Code section exceed the limitations specified in paragraph (4) of this subsection.

   (6) Any grant allowed by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not exceed the lesser of 35 percent of the cost of the clean energy property described in subparagraphs (a)(2)(A) through (a)(2)(D) of this Code section or the following grant amounts for any clean energy property:

      (A) A ceiling of $500,000.00 per installation applies to solar energy equipment for solar electric (photovoltaic), other solar thermal electric applications, and active space heating and wind equipment as described in subparagraphs (a)(2)(A) and (a)(2)(D) of this Code section;

      (B) The sum of $100,000.00 per installation applies to clean energy property related to solar energy equipment for domestic water heating as described in subparagraph (a)(2)(A) of this Code section which is certified for performance by the Solar Rating Certification Corporation, Florida Solar Energy Center, or by a comparable entity approved by the authority to have met the certification of Solar Rating Certification Corporation OG-100 or Florida Solar Energy Center-GO-80 for solar thermal collectors;

      (C) For Energy Star certified geothermal heat pump systems as described in subparagraph (a)(2)(B) of this Code section, the sum of $100,000.00;

      (D) For a lighting retrofit project as described in division (a)(2)(C)(i) of this Code section, the sum of $0.60 per square foot of the building with a maximum of $100,000.00; and

      (E) For an energy efficient building as described in division (a)(2)(C)(ii) of this Code section, the sum of the cost of energy efficient products installed during construction at $1.80 per square foot of the building, with a maximum of $100,000.00.

(c) The authority shall be authorized to adopt rules and regulations to provide for the administration of any grant provided by this Code section. Specifically, the authority shall create a mechanism to track and report the status and availability of grants for the public to review at a minimum on a quarterly basis.

(d) The authority shall provide an annual report of:

   (1) The number of persons that claimed the grants allowed in this Code section;

   (2) The cost of clean energy property with respect to which grants were issued;

   (3) The type of clean energy property installed and the location;

   (4) A determination of associated energy and economic benefits to the state; and

   (5) The total amount of grants allowed.

Code 1981, § 50-23-21, enacted by Ga. L. 2009, p. 153, § 1/HB 473.