"Borrowers can now consider project sizes up to $10 millionwhereas in the past, project sizes were limited to $5 million,"Liou says. In both of the recently closed loans, the borrowersreceived significantly higher loan amounts as compared to thelimits imposed for loans without an energy efficiency or renewableenergy component, he adds.

In one of the two recent loans, Golden Fremont Inc., a specialtyAsian grocery store chain based in the Northern California city ofFremont, received approximately $4 million under the SBA 504 energyefficiency loan program to build a new $9 million food market inFremont. Golden Fremont received the financing after Partner Energycreated an energy model to predict the new food market's potentialenergy consumption. The new 30,600-square-foot store, which will bedesigned following California's strict Title 24 energy efficiencyrequirements, was projected to utilize at least 10% less energy ona per-square-foot basis than a recently renovated food marketcurrently occupied by the borrower.

The other Partner Energy client, Blaine Convention Services,obtained approximately $3 million under the new SBA energyefficiency loan program for the acquisition of a former metalplating factory in the Orange County city of Brea in a transactionvalued at approximately $8 million. The 107,000-square-footbuilding will be used as a new headquarters and warehouse forBlaine. Partner demonstrated to the SBA that with existing energysaving features along and some modifications, the new building isprojected to be at least 10% more efficient than the spacecurrently occupied by BCS.