NEGAUNEE – Regional not-for-profit power company WPPI Energy has begun a program for nonprofit entities like churches and schools in the city of Negaunee that can be eligible to receive up to a $25,000 grant to develop on-site renewable energy such as solar panels and wind turbines.

WPPI Energy will give grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 through its Request for Proposals program for projects that will install up to a 20-kilowatt solar power panel or up to a 10-kilowatt wind turbine. It will accept proposals for projects through Jan. 30.

A typical household could offset their energy consumption for about a year by installing a nine- to 10-kilowatt system, according to Brett Niemi, an energy services representative for WPPI Energy. The company installed a 10 kW solar panel system on the roof of Negaunee High School seven or eight years ago, he said.

WPPI Energy serves 51 locally owned electric utilities, including seven in the U.P., Niemi said. In addition to Negaunee, it serves Baraga, L’Anse, Gladstone, Norway, Crystal Falls and the Alger Delta Cooperative Electric Association.

Niemi said the RFP program is about promoting the use of renewable energy.

“And obviously in doing that we do gain a little bit of renewable energy into our system, although being with these small projects, it wouldn’t really make a change in the overall picture of our big portfolio,” he said.

Niemi said he believes the program is aimed at nonprofits to provide financial benefits to the community and its taxpayers.

“Typically nonprofits like schools, churches, municipal units of government … don’t have a lot of extra money to spend, and it’s hard for them to do these types of projects,” he said. “And these types of projects typically will come back to the community, in a sense.”

Organizations that submit bids in the competitive process will need to provide a detailed description of their proposed project, an explanation of the project’s goals and of their financial need, a site assessment certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and at least two cost proposals.

Of those, the best and most efficient bids will then be selected, Niemi said.

“What we’re doing is, the applications that we get in we’re going to essentially grade them and look at the ones that will have the lowest dollars per kilowatt hour produced in the proposal,” he said. “And that’s the competitive part of it, in the RFP itself.”

The request for proposals is just the first round of what Niemi said WPPI Energy hopes will occur two or three more times this year.

For an application form and additional information, visit www.wppienergy.org/renewablerfp.

Zach Jay can be reached at 906-486-4401. His email address is zjay@miningjournal.net.