Oct 20 - U.S. Newswire

Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced the investment of nearly $12 million in alternative clean energy projects that will create at least 1,200 full- and part-time jobs and attract nearly $118 million in private investment.

"We are investing in Pennsylvania businesses and organizations that are committed to the development of clean-burning home-grown fuels and renewable energy sources," said Governor Rendell of the projects approved today by the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority. "The investment in innovative technologies and energy efficiency will help drive energy costs down, provide affordable energy, create good-paying, green jobs in communities throughout the state and reduce our dependence on foreign fuel."

The projects announced today are expected to generate at least 488,363 megawatt hours of electricity and conserve another 2,500 megawatt hours, which is comparable to creating enough power from clean energy to power almost 50,000 homes.

The projects will also avoid polluting emissions from traditional power plants, including more than 310,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 2,000 tons of sulfur dioxide and 430 tons of nitrogen oxides -- pollutants that combine to form ground-level ozone and smog, the equivalent to removing 55,000 cars from the road.

The Alternative Energy Investment Fund signed by Governor Rendell in July will invest $665.9 million, of which $237.5 million is specifically targeted towards helping consumers conserve electricity and to manage higher energy prices and $428.4 million to spur the development of alternative energy resources and to create at least 10,000 good-paying jobs in these industries.

The Governor signed legislation last week to help consumers save $500 million over the next five years through a combination of conservation measures, energy efficiency tools and requirements that utilities provide service at the lowest reasonable rate.

Pennsylvania's new energy conservation programs and alternative energy investment programs will benefit the state's power consumers at work and at home and protect the environment.

After years of inactivity, the Governor reactivated PEDA to help spark innovation and economic development in Pennsylvania's energy industry. Since 2005, PEDA has approved 105 grants and loans totaling more than $44 million for clean energy projects.

Applicants for PEDA financing can seek grant assistance to help pay for capital costs for a variety of innovative, advanced energy projects, such as solar energy; wind; low-impact hydropower; geothermal; biologically derived methane gas, including landfill gas; biomass; fuel cells; coal-mine methane; waste coal; integrated gasification combined cycle; demand management measures, including recycled energy and energy recovery, energy efficiency and load management; and clean, alternative fuels for transportation.

Applicants with projects related to distributed generation for critical public infrastructure are particularly encouraged to apply. PEDA financing is available to organizations operating in Pennsylvania and to those businesses interested in locating advanced energy operations in the state.

For more information, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: "PEDA".

The Rendell administration is committed to creating a first-rate public education system, protecting our most vulnerable citizens and continuing economic investment to support our communities and businesses.To find out more about Governor Rendell's initiatives and to sign up for his weekly newsletter, visitwww.governor.state.pa.us.

EDITOR'S NOTE:The following is a list, by county, of the 24 alternative and renewable energy projects approved today by PEDA.

ALLEGHENYCOUNTY

a.m. Rodriguez Associates: $500,000 to provide energy efficiency strategies in the conversion of an historic school building to a mixed-use facility that will include 99 apartments for senior citizens, an early childhood development center, and a YMCA. Strategies include a solar thermal system, rain cisterns to collect water for an evaporative cooling system and high-efficiency lighting. The project will save 145,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 847 million Btu of natural gas annually, and create 18 permanent jobs and 10 temporary jobs. The project will avoid air pollution, including more than 92 tons of carbon dioxide, and conserve 45,000 gallons of water annually.

Plextronics Inc.: $1 million to establish a large-area organic photovoltaic module process development line that will allow the company to reduce manufacturing costs. The project will generate more than 400,000 solar modules annually for sale, with a total capacity of 4.1 million kWh per year. It is expected that the modules, when deployed, will avoid emissions from traditional power plants by 212,000 pounds of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide by 244,000 pounds, and carbon dioxide by 54.5 million pounds. The project will create more than 15 jobs.

Redevelopment Authority of the County of Allegheny: $100,000 to install solar-powered LED lighting on two new roadways that will lead traffic into a business park that is being redeveloped after years of being vacant. The lighting project is expected to save 31,865 kWh of electricity and avoid 20 tons of carbon dioxide annually. Reopening the business park will create 200 permanent jobs.

BEAVERCOUNTY

Economy Borough: $7,000 to replace 100 lighting fixtures and 300 bulbs with energy-efficient alternatives. The project is expected to save $3,136 for the borough annually.

BUTLERCOUNTY

City of Butler: $20,000 to purchase LED traffic signals to conserve 58,000 kWh of electricity annually, or almost 80 percent of previous energy use.

CAMBRIACOUNTY

First Nation Wood Pellets LLC: $500,000 to construct a 78,000- ton-per-year wood pellet manufacturing plant. Pellet production equates to more than 9 million gallons of fuel oil annually. The project will create 45 full-time jobs.

CHESTERCOUNTY

Chester County Public Safety Training Foundation: $850,000 for the construction of an emergency training facility on a brownfield site. The building is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards, with features including solar photovoltaics and water heating, LED lighting and lighting controls, a geothermal HVAC system, and a heat recovery ventilation system. The project is expected to save 163,455 kWh of electricity annually and 304 million cubic feet of natural gas and avoid air pollution, including 255 tons of carbon dioxide. It will create 120 jobs.

CLARIONCOUNTY

Iron Oxide Recovery Inc.: $262,190 to install a solar system to dewater iron oxide from mine drainage. The resulting material is used to make EnvironOxide, a green construction product. The system will prevent the use of more than 9,000 gallons of diesel fuel, conserve 200,000 kWh of electricity and reduce carbon dioxide by more than 127 tons annually.

CLEARFIELDCOUNTY

Nydree Flooring LLC: $269,801 to replace an oil-fueled steam system with a biomass system fueled by more than 600 tons of wood waste annually. The biomass system will reduce air emissions of pollutants that form ground-level ozone and smog. The biomass system will save more than 44,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

COLUMBIACOUNTY

Benton Area School District: $350,000 to further develop a biomass-fueled boiler project by constructing a boiler housing and piping system. The completed project would provide an estimated 80 percent of the district's heating requirement, avoiding use of 42,644 gallons of fuel oil and reducing emissions by 88 percent or more.

DELAWARECOUNTY

University Crossing at Chester Commons II LP: $500,000 for a solar hot water system and a geothermal heating and cooling system in a mixed residential, commercial and hotel project adjacent to Widener University. The project is expected to save 253,000 kWh of electricity annually, provide almost 200 jobs and revitalize a low- income neighborhood. The green buildings will reduce air pollution, including 160 tons of carbon dioxide annually, and improve water consumption and wastewater disposal.

ELKCOUNTY

Eagle Bio Diesel: $162,020 to develop a biodiesel manufacturing and distribution facility. The project would initially involve the use of waste vegetable oil as feedstock from an expanding area of feedstock suppliers. The project will result in the production of 792,000 gallons of biodiesel annually, and the creation of 50 full- time jobs.

FRANKLINCOUNTY

Mercersburg Water Authority: $240,000 to install two 10 kW wind turbines to supplement energy required to operate a water treatment plant and supply any excess electricity back to the grid via net metering.

LYCOMINGCOUNTY

Susquehanna Smart Fuel LLC: $462,000 to expand its canola oil producing operations by 120,000 gallons per year. The canola oil is used, partly, as an additive for biofuel production. The project will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SOx), carbon dioxide, mercury and particulates air emissions, and create five full-time jobs.

McKEANCOUNTY

American Refining & Biochemical Inc.: $1 million to construct a facility to process up to 180,000 tons of biomass per year into more than 60,000 tons of a coal-like product. This facility, to be built on a brownfield site, could possibly be the first operating commercial processor in the U.S. Production of 65,000 tons of product would have a fuel value of 1.3 million Btu. Use of the product would avoid air pollution from traditional power plants, including 241,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 337 tons of NOx and 1,600 tons of SOx.

MONROECOUNTY

Ameresco Inc.: $198,000 to install a 600 kW ground-mounted photovoltaic array at the Tobyhanna Army Depot. The solar array will generate 868,000 kWh per year of electricity. The solar array is expected to reduce NOx emissions by 1,273 pounds, SOx emissions by 3 tons and carbon dioxide emissions by 456 tons per year.

MONTGOMERYCOUNTY

Centocor: $670,000 to install a 100 kW, roof-mounted photovoltaic array and a 65 kW photovoltaic carport. The arrays will generate 165 kWh of electricity, offset 15,000 gallons of heating oil and avoid 125 tons of carbon dioxide annually. The project will create two permanent jobs and 25 temporary jobs.

NORTHAMPTONCOUNTY

Grid Storage Technologies LLC: $500,000 to develop the demonstration phase of an advanced battery system, which is estimated to save 500,000 kWh per year of electricity and reduce air pollutants that form ground-level ozone and smog, and more than 785 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

NORTHUMBERLANDCOUNTY

IntelliWatt Renewable Energy: $150,000 to develop a 12 MW biomass- to-energy project at an industrial park in a Keystone Opportunity Zone. The project will avoid more than 66,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 93 tons of NOx and 444 tons of SOx annually.

PHILADELPHIACOUNTY

School District of Philadelphia: $1 million for a geothermal heat pump HVAC system for use in an energy-efficient, green high school. The system will reduce energy costs by 40 percent, or more than $50,000 a year. The project is expected to create 30 permanent full- time jobs and 100 temporary jobs. Use of the system will avoid pollutants that form ground-level ozone and smog, and 160 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

SCHUYLKILLCOUNTY

Fessler USA: $1 million to complete a solar photovoltaic installation. The project will generate 667,000 kWh per year of electricity and avoid air pollution from traditional power plants, including 506 tons of carbon dioxide annually.

WESTMORELANDCOUNTY

Pittsburgh Electric Engines Inc.: $346,351 to develop bundled solid oxide fuel cells and assemblies for mobile and transport systems.

YORKCOUNTY

Church & Dwight Company: $1 million to provide energy-efficient components to a 1.1-million-square-foot manufacturing, warehouse and office space designed to meet LEED standards. The complex is designed to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent, and reduce solid waste generation, water consumption and industrial effluent by 50 percent. Energy efficiency features include a geothermal HVAC system for the office complex and solar thermal hot water systems for the manufacturing plant. The project is expected to save 7.1 million cubic feet of natural gas annually, saving almost $90,000. The project will create approximately 300 jobs as it also reduces carbon dioxide by 159 tons annually.

Komax Systems York: $800,000 to expand its facility to produce an automation system for complete photovoltaic module production. The project will create 41 permanent jobs and 11 temporary full-time jobs. Komax Systems is an international leader in supplying solar soldering machines.

CONTACT:Chuck Ardo

717-783-1116

Teresa Candori (DEP)

717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor

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