Pennsylvania Grants $31.4 Million for Clean Energy and Alternative Fuels Development
April 16, 2007
Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell is making $31.4 million available in grants to help businesses and organizations develop clean energy and alternative fuel projects in the state. The grants are funded through three programs administered by Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) :
- Alternative Fuels Incentive Grants (AFIG) — $16.4 million will finance the production and use of clean-burning fuels in Pennsylvania. The AFIG funds can cover the added cost to purchase E85 ethanol-blended fuels or biodiesel and to install related refueling equipment. Pennsylvania producers of ethanol or biodiesel are eligible for a reimbursement of $0.05 per gallon for up to 12.5 million gallons covering a 12-month period. AFIG emphasizes investments in ethanol and biodiesel, which support the PennSecurity Fuels Initiative. That initiative will require the state to use of 1 billion gallons of domestically produced clean and renewable fuels.
- Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) — $10 million in grants are available for capital costs for advanced energy projects. Eligible projects may include 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. PEDA particularly encourages distributed generation projects for critical public infrastructure.
- Energy Harvest Grant Program — Up to $5 million in grants are available for projects that promote awareness and build markets for clean or renewable energy technologies. These grants will fund innovative energy deployment projects that emphasize protecting Pennsylvania's air or water quality while supporting economic development and enhancing the quality of life in the commonwealth. Eligible proposals include renewable energy deployment, including biomass energy; waste coal reclamation for energy; deployment of innovative energy efficiency technologies; and distributed generation projects.
In an April 10 press release, Rendell said, "These grants will be a substantial and important investment to help Pennsylvania put a broader energy strategy in place to protect consumers from soaring electricity costs and to achieve energy independence."
The three programs will be accepting grant applications until June 15.
For more information, see the governor's April 10 press release and the DEP Office of Energy Technology Deployment Web site.
Source: April 13 article in SNL Energy Renewable Energy Week
To read more information about renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Pennsylvania, see:
- Pennsylvania news published on the EERE Web site.
- Brief project descriptions from the Pennsylvania Energy Office published in the EERE State Energy Program newsletter, Conservation Update.
- Pennsylvania publications listed in the EERE State Publications Database.