Section 710.50  Form of Grant Applications

a)         The Department will publish, for at least 30 calendar days, a Notice of Funding Opportunity on the GATA Grantee Portal (https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/). 

b)         The applicants will be required to submit an application package to the Department, which will include the following:

1)         Uniform grant application;

2)         Uniform budget template;

3)         Conflict of interest disclosure form;

4)         Mandatory disclosures form;

5)         Project narrative, which shall include the following information:

A)        A justification for developing an energy storage facility at the proposed site, including:

i)          How the applicant will engage with the local community during and after construction and how the energy storage project will help the local community;

ii)         A description of a plan or commitment to ecological site improvement (e.g., installation of native pollinator plantings equivalent to minimum standards defined in the Illinois Department of Natural Resources "Solar Site Pollinator Scorecard");

B)        A description of the applicant's ability to successfully complete the project for which funds are intended, including:

i)          A description of the applicant's experience in the development of energy storage facilities, how many energy storage facilities the applicant currently has in commercial operation and how many are currently under construction.  The applicant or major contractor partner should provide at least three client references for energy storage facilities that are complete and operating, sized 5 megawatt hours (MWh) or larger.

ii)         Anticipated timelines for construction and expected date for commercial operation launch.  The owner of the proposed energy storage facility must commit to placing the energy storage facility into commercial operation on either June 1, 2023, June 1, 2024 or June 1, 2025, with such date subject to adjustment as needed due to any delays in completing the grant contracting process, in finalizing interconnection agreements and in installing interconnection facilities, and in obtaining necessary governmental permits and approvals. [20 ILCS 3855/1075(c-5)(8)]

iii)        Expected capacity of the energy storage facility in megawatts at the site of the proposed energy storage facility.

iv)        A technology description that defines the energy storage type (e.g., battery, hydrogen fuel cell) and summarizing the key components and the design of the overall system.

v)         A summary of additional key technical characteristics, including:

•           Energy storage capacity or the maximum amount of stored energy, in megawatt hours (MWh).

•           Storage duration or the amount of time stored energy can discharge at the rated power capacity before depleting the system's energy capacity, in hours.

•           Expected system life, in years, based on anticipated operating conditions.

•           Estimated energy storage in the first 12 months of system operation, including, Alternating Current (AC) energy (in MWh) for system charging and AC energy (in MWh) discharging from the system to the grid.

•           Estimated annual system degradation rate, as a percentage, based on annual reduction in the system's energy capacity.

vi)        Documentation, including production technical specification sheets, that provides the basis for key technical characteristics described in this subsection.

C)        A description of the applicant's ability and strategy to meet the commitments and agreements listed as criteria for receipt of a grant in 20 ILCS 3855/1-75(c-5)(10)(C).  The applicant should:

i)          Explain the applicant's plan for ensuring the energy storage facility will be constructed or installed by a qualified entity or entities consistent with the requirements of the Public Utilities Act [220 ILCS 5/16-128A(g)] and any rules adopted under that Section;

ii)         Describe existing relationships with workforce training partners and plans to meet training and hiring objectives of the program, particularly how they relate to achieving the program's diversity goals and providing employment opportunities for former employees of the coal-fueled electric generating facility;

iii)        Describe previous efforts the applicant took to negotiate project labor agreements for the construction of projects overseen by the applicant, including efforts to meet diversity targets, improve diversity at job sites, create diverse apprenticeship opportunities, and create opportunities to employ former coal-fired power plant workers; and

iv)        Describe how it will meet the requirement of paying at least the prevailing wage, pursuant to the Prevailing Wage Act [820 ILCS 130], to the applicant's employees and contractor's employees engaged in construction of the energy storage facilities;

D)        Certification of eligibility, which shall be in the form of a signed letter by the applicant on company letterhead which certifies that the applicant and its proposed project meet the criteria listed in Section 710.40(b) and (c).  All certifications made by the applicant must also be certified by the electric generating unit owner if they are not the same entity. If a grant applicant is not the owner of the electric generating unit, the applicant shall submit to the Department proof of corporate structure showing the applicant's relationship to the owner of the facility; and

6)         Any additional documentation to demonstrate or support the information submitted by the applicant for the proposed project.

c)         Applicants may apply for a grant for more than one project but must submit a separate application for each proposed energy storage facility location.