Anyone who wants a Generation Unit to be qualified for participation in the APS Renewable Thermal program must apply for a Statement of Qualification. This section includes information about the APS Renewable Thermal program.
Eligibility Criteria
All Renewable Thermal Generation Units must:
- Generate useful thermal energy using sunlight, biomass, biogas, biofuel or naturally occurring temperature differences in ground, air or water
- Deliver a useful thermal load to a facility located in Massachusetts
- Have an operation date January 15th 2015 or later
Eligible APS Renewable Thermal technologies include:
- Air source heat pumps systems
- Ground source heat pumps systems
- Deep geothermal systems
- Solar thermal systems
- Solar hot water
- Solar hot air
- Solar sludge drying
- Woody biomass systems
- Wood pellet
- Wood chip
- Biogas systems
- Liquid biofuel systems
- Compost heat exchange systems
General Instructions
For the following technologies, the APS Renewable Thermal application is a web-based application form hosted by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center's Production Tracking System. In order to qualify an APS eligible Generation Unit, applicants must register in the online application portal by creating a username and password and then complete the application for each system they wish to qualify. Once applicants have registered, they will be able to save new applications and log out and reenter the application platform.
- Air source heat pumps systems
- Ground source heat pumps systems
- Solar thermal systems
- Solar hot water
- Solar hot air
- Woody biomass systems
- Wood pellet
- Wood chip
- Biogas systems
For the following technologies, all applicants should contact DOER at thermal.DOER@state.ma.us for more information.
- Deep geothermal systems
- Solar sludge drying systems
- Compost heat exchange systems
- Liquid biofuel systems
Size Classifications
The size classification of a Generation Unit determines the metering methodology that must implemented for APS implementation. More information on metering methodologies can be found in the guidelines below:
Small Generation Units have the option to be classified as either intermediate or large Generation Units if they wish to forgo pre-minting or forward minting and instead meter their production. Intermediate Generation Units also have the option to be classified as large Generation Units if they wish to fully meter their production. Generation Units which opt to change their size classification must notify the Department in their Statement of Qualification Application and must remain their chosen size classification for the duration of their qualification period.
Multipliers
In order to provide a meaningful incentive to APS renewable thermal Generation Units, DOER has established the following multipliers:
For additional information regarding multipliers, please click here.
Application Deadlines
DOER has established deadlines for submitting applications for each quarter. If a system wishes to receive credit for production in a particular quarter, it must submit a complete application by the deadline for that quarter. For example, if a project interconnected on January 1st submitted an application after the Q1 deadline of May 15th, it would lose all credit for production occurring between January 1st and March 31st.
| Quarter | Application Submission Deadline |
|---|---|
| Q1 | May 15th |
| Q2 | August 15th |
| Q3 | November 15th |
| Q4 | February 15th |
For Statement of Qualification & Registration questions, please contact DOER at:
Tel: (617) 626-1180
Email: thermal.doer@state.ma.us
Instructional Information: Intermediate Woody Biomass Fuel Reporting
How to Use Online Portal?
- Woody Biomass Fuel Reporting Webinar – How to Use Online Portal
- Training Document – How To Use Online Portal
Important Documents
For information regarding important documents, please click here.
Independent Verifiers
For information regarding independent verifiers, please click here:
Aggregators
For information regarding aggregators, please click here.