The term “community wood energy system” includes single-facility central heating, district heating systems serving multiple buildings, combined heat and electric systems where thermal energy is the primary energy output, and other related biomass energy systems.
Under the Program, the Secretary shall make grants to cover not more than 35 percent of the capital cost for installing a community wood energy system or building an innovative wood product facility.
The Secretary may establish special circumstances, such as in the case of a community wood energy system project or innovative wood product facility project involving a school or hospital in a low-income community, under which grants under the Program may cover up to 50 percent of the capital cost.
A community wood energy system acquired with grant funds under the Program shall not exceed nameplate capacity of 5 megawatts of thermal energy or combined thermal and electric energy.
Not more than 25 percent of funds provided as grants under the Program for a fiscal year may go to applicants proposing innovative wood product facilities, unless the Secretary has received an insufficient number of qualified proposals for community wood energy systems.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the Program $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.