Co-op Plus Applies For NYS Funds to Market Green Energy
Published January 2002
by Fred Schaeffer
Our energy co-op submitted a 55 page response to the state's request for proposals to market green energy. There is a decent chance, although far from a certainty, that some form of the proposal will be accepted.
However, just to pursue the proposal requires a lot of effort; more than what was available. In recent months, several principals in the co-op had moved on to other activities because of our inability to get adequate start-up funds. This created a dilemma. If there was inadequate people power to do the work, we may as well forget the proposal and close the co-op. In the end, two new people volunteered and there was enough of an added commitment by some co-op Board members to pursue the application.
But we could use help from you too. If you're willing to commit a substantial part of your time for January, February and March, we'd like to hear from you. This is especially true if you'e into co-ops, energy or the environment, and have a business background such as finance, negotiation, marketing, legal or start-up. For more info, please call me at 244-2074.
NYSERDA is the state agency that has money for green energy. They're responsible for energy efficiency, reduced or off-peak usage, and alternative forms of energy. They get their money from you! If you look at your utility bill, you'll see a Systems Benefit Charge of around $1 per month. This is a benefit of government. They collect a small, easy-to-pay amount and make it available for worthwhile projects in big blocks. They've been in existence more than three years. Until this past summer, RG&E intentionally kept them from our area. Until RG&E had been pressured by others, we could not have had this funding opportunity. Our grant application was created and submitted by the Cooperative Development Institute. We've been working together since the start of our energy activities several years ago. They gave up their Thanksgiving weekend and worked late into the night, in order to submit our application on time.