PROVIDENCE — The state is planning to distribute $8.4 million soon in federal stimulus money to help homeowners and businesses install equipment that will use renewable-energy sources such as solar and wind power, geothermal pumps, biomass and waste-to-energy generators and hydropower.

It’s too soon to apply for the grants now.

But the state Office of Energy Resources hopes to be ready to start accepting applications by the end of the month. About 90 people attended a meeting Thursday at the state Health Department auditorium to go over its draft rules for the new program.

“No one said what we’re doing is unworkable or headed in the wrong direction,” said Kenneth Payne, a consultant for the office who drafted the new regulations governing dispersal of the money.

Payne said he received useful ideas for improving the regulations, which he hoped to revise during the next week or so, and then hold a public hearing so they can be approved on an expedited timetable. The state’s high unemployment rate should be sufficient to justify moving quicker than usual, he said.

No one special interest group predominated at the meeting, Payne said. “We had a broad array of people who wanted to do work ranging from small projects to large-scale redevelopment,” Payne said. “We had people interested in wind, those who want to go solar and those supporting biomass.”

The energy office plans to accept applications until Dec. 10 for the first round of grants, which will total $3.4 million. Applications for a second round of funding of $5 million will be accepted until March 1.

The program plans to provide up to $10,000 for each dwelling unit, $125,000 for each small commercial or industrial project, up to $500,000 for large commercial or industrial projects and up to $750,000 for community and institutional projects. The program will contribute up to those limits, or 25 percent of the cost of each project, whichever is less.

The energy office will make a public announcement when it is ready to accept applications.

The new program is funded with part of the $58 million in stimulus money forwarded to Rhode Island by the federal government for energy projects. Some $20 million is going to weatherize the houses of low-income residents. Another $14.5 million will be disbursed to communities to distribute for residential and commercial energy audits and conservation and renewable-energy projects.

The $8.4 million is part of the $23.9 million earmarked for the State Energy Program. The program also funds revisions to the state’s building code, energy conservation work in public buildings and energy assistance to 100 businesses.

The program will fund projects that use the following forms of energy: solar radiation, wind, heat from the ocean or the earth, small hydro facilities, fuel cells, biomass and waste-to-energy combustion.

Not eligible for the program are projects already under contract with funding from other stimulus programs, most outdoor wood boilers or work for casinos, aquariums, zoos, golf courses or swimming pools.

Applications for funding will be evaluated by the following criteria: 40 percent job creation or retention, 30 percent energy savings, 10 percent cost-effectiveness savings and 20 percent on the amount of funds leveraged by the grant.

The regulations say the purpose of the program is to create and retain jobs, produce energy cost savings, reduce the dependence on fuels from other nations, reduce greenhouse gases and to facilitate market transformation.

plord@projo.com