Pennsylvania Governor Rendell's Energy Harvest Program Investing $5.1 million in PA's Future; Projects Will Enhance Energy Security, Promote Advanced
DATELINE: READING, Pa. Oct. 11
READING, Pa., Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced $5.1 million to support 27 projects that will advance the deployment of clean energy technologies, lessen the nation's dependence on foreign fuels, and significantly reduce air and water pollution.
The state investment, awarded under the Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Program, will leverage another $8.2 million in private funds.
"Pennsylvania is harvesting the benefits of strategic investments in clean energy technologies to protect our environment, improve our energy security and put our residents to work in the most dynamic manufacturing sector of the 21st century," Governor Rendell said. "Our commonwealth is leading the way to build a bridge to America's clean energy future."
Since Governor Rendell launched the program in May 2003, Energy Harvest has awarded $21 million and leveraged another $51.9 million in private funds. The grants fund projects that use energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, biodigestion and landfill methane gas, as well as provide financing for energy efficiency and "green" building projects.
"Our commonwealth and Governor Rendell are recognized internationally for advanced energy leadership, and, more importantly, our economic gains are being built on a foundation of environmental protection," said Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty, who announced the $5.1 million in grants while touring the site of a solar project that received funding.
RiverPlace Development Corp. received $118,400 for a solar-powered architectural and security lighting on 3,200 feet of trail and along bridges on the Schuylkill River Trail in Reading, Berks County. The grant and the matching investment by RiverPlace Development Corp. will enhance public safety, help reduce graffiti, increase public use of the trail corridor and foster business development by improving quality of life in the area.
This round of Energy Harvest grants helps Pennsylvania meet its significant commitment to producing electricity from solar sources. The state's clean energy law far surpasses other states in ensuring wide distribution and use of zero-pollution solar power. By 2021, when the solar share is in full effect, utilities will be required to purchase 700 megawatts of solar-produced electricity -- the second largest solar requirement in the nation.
Energy Harvest grants provide more than $1 million to 13 projects that include solar power, leveraging another $641,652 of private investment.
Each year, the 27 Energy Harvest projects will produce or conserve the equivalent of 4,567 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to power 456 homes, and replace 35.6 billion British thermal units of natural gas. The projects also will replace the use of 264,426 gallons of heating oil or diesel and 955 tons of coal annually.
The projects will eliminate significant amounts of air pollution: 31,731 pounds of nitrogen oxide, 117,253 pounds of sulfur dioxide, and 2.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide.
Reducing water pollution also is a significant goal of the Energy Harvest grants. The Applied Reclamation Techniques project in Quakertown, Schuylkill County, will use a biomass heat system fueled by poultry manure. The project will remove an estimated 39 tons of nitrogen, 26 tons of phosphorous and 26 tons of potassium annually from the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
The Pennsylvania Energy Harvest Grant Program is one of a number of initiatives that Governor Rendell has put in place to promote advanced energy projects in the state.
The Governor invested $6.4 million in 16 clean energy projects Oct. 5 through the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority. The projects will create 316 permanent positions and up to 280 construction jobs in Pennsylvania, as well as to leverage more than $38 million in private funds. Since 2005, PEDA has awarded $21 million in grants and loans for 57 clean energy projects that will leverage another $240 million in private investment. The projects will create 975 permanent and construction jobs.
Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, one of the most progressive in the nation, ensures that 18 percent of all retail energy generated by 2020 comes from clean, efficient and advanced resources. The law promises to substantially build on the state's leadership in wind production east of the Mississippi, with wind sources providing enough clean energy to power some 70,000 homes.
Because of that leadership, Governor Rendell was able to lead a campaign to land the Spanish wind-energy company Gamesa Corp., the second largest wind energy company in the world. With its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia and manufacturing facilities in Bucks and Cambria counties, Gamesa represents an $84 million investment in the state that will create as many as 1,000 jobs.
The commonwealth is leading in other areas of advanced energy development, creating jobs and cleaning up the environment while putting indigenous resources to work.
The Governor recently redoubled the commonwealth's "green" electricity commitment to 20 percent, making Pennsylvania the largest state purchaser of green electricity in the nation. Pennsylvania also is second only to California in the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council under the internationally recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
Governor Rendell's "PennSecurity Fuels Initiative" will produce and use 900-million gallons annually of clean, domestic fuel -- an amount equivalent to what the state is expected to import from the Persian Gulf 10 years from now. The Governor is investing $30 million over the next five years to build re-fueling and production infrastructure to support wide distribution of the alternative fuels.
Pennsylvania very well could be the nation's leading producer of biodiesel within the year, going from practically nowhere a year ago to a projected 40-million gallons of annual production. The state also contains enough plant matter to produce in excess of 500 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year.
The nation's first coal gasification-liquefaction plant is set to be built in northeastern Pennsylvania. The facility will use waste coal to produce 40- million gallons of clean-burning diesel fuel each year. What the Governor is doing to support the project is unprecedented, creating a fuel consortium with private industry to purchase nearly all of the offtake well below current market values.
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, visit his Web site at: http://www.governor.state.pa.us/ .
EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a list by county of the $5.1 million in grants invested in 27 Energy Harvest projects.
ALLEGHENY
Conservation Consultants Inc. - $45,000 for a solar domestic hot water system, a grid-connected photovoltaic system and a Web-enabled energy production tracking system. These systems will demonstrate the feasibility and productivity of residential renewable energy generation systems to more than 2,000 annual visitors.
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 95 - $22,500 for 4.16- kilowatt solar panels to power the union's technology center, which serves as a training ground for building owners and managers, and mechanics from large- scale industrial operations.
Pittsburgh Voyager - $56,504 for solar photovoltaic cells, on the HV Pittsburgh Explorer.
UrbanHomesteaders LLC - $208,730 for a solar domestic hot water system for the residents of Ross Hill Retirement Residence, a low-income housing development for senior citizens. The system will heat 657,000 gallons of water annually and reduce 37 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
BERKS
RiverPlace Development Corp. - $118,400 for solar-powered architectural and security lighting on 3,200 feet of trail and accompanying bridges on the Schuylkill River Trail. The benefits include enhanced public safety, reduced graffiti, increased public usage and business development resulting from safer conditions.
BRADFORD
Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority - $70,000 for a hydroponic greenhouse heating system that will run on landfill methane gas. The electrical systems will save 12 billion BTUs in fossil fuels annually and reduce air pollution.
BUTLER
Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program - $37,500 for a 2.5-kilowatt photovoltaic system for its Terra Dei Homestead. The installation will include cutting-edge power storage and will educate about 3,000 visitors annually by displaying prominently how the system works and offering details about the environmental benefits and cost savings of solar systems.
CHESTER
West Chester University of Pennsylvania - $248,458 for a ground-source (geothermal) heat pump heating and cooling system for a 50,000-square-foot building renovation.
COLUMBIA
Dillon Floral Corp. - $206,691 for a wood-fired greenhouse heating system. The system will use a locally available and renewable fuel source to replace oil heating, allowing profitable production of locally grown cut flowers.
CUMBERLAND
Dickinson College - $250,000 to construct a 60.28-kilowatt array of photovoltaic cells on the roof of the college's Facilities Management building in Carlisle. The college is striving to create a sustainable environment and to educate both students and the public.
DELAWARE
Media Borough - $77,000 for solar photovoltaic systems at public facilities throughout Media, allowing the borough to increase its solar energy production from 25 to 40 kilowatts. This program will educate residents and increase production of renewable energy throughout Media.
Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia - $42,000 for a 9.89-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system to help produce vegetables for 115 families. The energy will keep food fresh, pump irrigation water and power a deer fence.
Pennsylvania Resources Council Inc. - $18,870 for a five-kilowatt solar photovoltaic installation for its Living Demo Center. Solar energy benefits will be demonstrated to the 8,000 students and adults the center hosts annually.
JUNIATA
Southern Alleghenies Conservancy Inc. - $285,038 for a complete-mix anaerobic digester system (dairy manure). The digester will produce approximately 69,281 kilowatt hours of electricity per month to sell to electric distribution companies. Furthermore, the system will reduce air pollution and improve water quality through better nutrient management.
LACKAWANNA
Pocono Northeast Resource Conservation & Development Council - $393,590 for a mobile pelletizing unit at the council's Mayfield facility for pelletizing wild grasses for combustion in biomass fuel burning systems. The system will produce approximately 1,600 tons of clean-burning fuel that can be used in any flexible fuel boiler unit.
LANCASTER
Manheim Township School District - $250,000 for a dedicated ventilation system that will complement the high-performance green high school's innovative geothermal/ground-coupled radiant cooling floor system.
Lancaster County Career and Technology Center - $67,000 to build high- performance "green" homes following national guidelines. The houses will feature solar electric, solar hot water and ground-source heat pump systems, as well as other green technologies. The project will save 14,700 kilowatt hours per year and reduce air pollution. Students will build the homes and approximately 10,000 people will be educated.
McKEAN
Kane Area School District - $355,653 for a woody-biomass fuel heating system in the high school to reduce heating costs and air pollution and encourage economic growth for forestry businesses.
MERCER
John Koller & Son, Inc. - $375,134 for an anaerobic digester that will produce biogas to power a 120-kilowatt electrical energy generator. The system will replace fuel oil and reduce air pollution.
MONTGOMERY
Abington Friends School - $43,000 for a solar photovoltaic system and a related energy conservation program. The solar system is expected to produce 6,200 kilowatt hours of electricity, which will be "matched" with an equivalent amount of energy savings through measures such as reducing lighting. The program will give teachers and students practical and tangible applications of renewable energy and environmental education, as well as reducing air pollution.
School District of Jenkintown - $49,752 for a 9.89-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system to power an elementary, middle and high school. A portion of the energy savings will be used to purchase 14,400 kilowatt hours of annual wind energy credits. The district's Heliotronics solar learning lab will educate about 400 students.
NORTHUMBERLAND
Lycoming Valley Railroad Co. of Northumberland - $250,000 to purchase an N-ViroMotive line of ultra-low emissions, high-efficiency locomotive to transport goods on a regular route between Williamsport, Lycoming County, and Northumberland, Northumberland County.
PHILADELPHIA
Wissahickon Charter School - $51,144 for a solar photovoltaic system to generate 6,260 kilowatt hours of electricity annually and educational opportunities for students and the community.
Energy Coordinating Agency - $118,000 for the incremental cost difference between standard building code homes and ENERGY STAR homes. The agency expects to save 350,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, and reduce air pollution and solid waste, by implementing the energy-saving standards on 131 residential housing units in Philadelphia.
SCHUYLKILL
Applied Reclamation Techniques Inc. - $346,884 for a biomass (poultry manure) heat system that will supply building and process heat for the new Schuylkill County Agricultural Facility. The system will use between 1,300 and 1,800 tons per year of poultry manure as fuel and significantly reduce nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
SNYDER
Susquehanna University - $ 150,000 to purchase and demonstrate an innovative steam/condensate pre-insulated piping system to save energy and reduce emissions.
WAYNE
Western Wayne School District - $1 million for a closed-loop geothermal heat pump system at a new 120,000-square-foot elementary school.
CONTACT: Kate Philips
717-783-1116
Charlie Young, DEP
717-787-1323
CONTACT: Kate Philips, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,
+1-717-783-1116; or Charlie Young, DEP, +1-717-787-1323
Web site: http://www.depweb.state.pa.us/
http://www.governor.state.pa.us/
SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor