PA Energy Clean Energy Projects

blogger's note: There is a 22 page pdf outlining specific Pennsylvania projects. I just skimmed it for now but saw some things that deserve closer scrutiny later.

Pennsylvania Clean Energy Investments under the Recovery Act Highlighted in New Energy Department Report

Report details progress driving clean energy innovation, building domestic manufacturing capacity, and helping families and businesses save money through energy efficiency

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced the release of a report detailing the broad range of clean energy projects underway in Pennsylvania funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Recovery Act is investing $90 billion in clean energy nationwide, including $1 billion in Pennsylvania, as part of the Obama Administration’s unprecedented commitment to rebuilding a strong, sustainable 21st century economy. To download a copy of the report, visit http://www.energy.gov/recovery/pa.htm.

“Our investments in clean energy under the Recovery Act are benefiting every state in America,” said Secretary Chu. “The Recovery Act funding for projects like modernizing our electrical grid, improving the efficiency of our homes and businesses, and building new advanced vehicle and renewable energy manufacturing facilities is creating jobs now while laying the groundwork for America’s new industrial revolution.”

Under the Recovery Act, the private sector is joining with the federal government, universities, states and local communities to move the country toward a clean energy future. These unprecedented investments in energy efficiency, renewable energy, advanced vehicle manufacturing, the smart grid, and research, development, and deployment of the latest innovative energy technologies will help the U.S. to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs, improve our energy security, and reduce carbon pollution.

Our clean energy investments here in America are improving U.S. economic competitiveness, supporting the growth of new green industries like advanced battery manufacturing, solar and wind energy, and carbon capture and sequestration, and creating new jobs across the country. By 2012, we expect our commitment to clean energy to lead to more than 800,000 jobs nationally. More information about Recovery Act-supported jobs in Pennsylvania is available at www.recovery.gov.

The report released today on the Recovery Act projects in the state includes information about the Department of Energy’s $12 billion investments in energy efficiency, including low-income home weatherization, local initiatives to launch new conservation and renewable energy projects, and technologies that will significantly reduce the energy use in our homes, businesses and industry. The Recovery Act is investing a total of nearly $471 million in Pennsylvania to advance local energy efficiency efforts and support the development of a long-term, sustainable energy efficiency and retrofit industry.

The Recovery Act is also enabling the growth of the renewable energy industry in America. In addition to investments in the research, development, and deployment of solar, wind, biomass, geothermal and other renewable energy technologies, the Recovery Act is enabling more than $5 billion in tax grants to more than 1,000 renewable energy projects across the country. These projects are leveraging more than $15 billion in total private capital investments to expand the clean energy industry and generate more than 11 gigawatts of new, clean renewable energy. This includes 29 renewable energy projects in Pennsylvania that are supported by nearly $212 million in federal investment. The tax grant program has already funded enough renewable energy projects nationally to power more than one million homes; that is enough clean energy to power the homes of everyone living in Boston, Seattle, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Cincinnati combined. According to an April 2010 study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on these awards, these projects are supporting more than 51,600 construction jobs and 3,860 permanent jobs.

The Recovery Act also includes $2.3 billion in tax credits for more than 180 clean energy manufacturing projects across the country. These projects include new manufacturing facilities to make solar energy components, wind turbines, and high efficiency appliances, among others – including 7 facilities in Pennsylvania. These investments under the Recovery Act are helping to achieve President Obama’s goal of doubling U.S. renewable energy generation capacity and U.S. renewable manufacturing capacity by 2012.

Investments in advanced vehicles and the smart grid are also playing an important role in America’s clean energy development. The Recovery Act is investing $4.5 billion in smart grid technologies, including nearly $244 million in Pennsylvania, which is helping to modernize and upgrade America’s electricity system, improve the reliability and efficiency of the electrical grid, and provide consumers with more information about their energy use. More than $3.4 billion nationally is also being invested in developing and deploying the next generation of advanced vehicles, including vehicles powered by electricity, biomass, and other alternative fuels. The state is receiving more than $60 million to build a sustainable transportation sector, helping to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and limit carbon pollution.

These unprecedented investments under the Recovery Act are helping to make the U.S. a global leader in clean energy, improve America’s energy security, and address climate change.