Friday, January 29, 2010

Microbes produce fuels directly from biomass

This is an exciting time when so many breakthroughs are being made which beckon with a bright future of limitless clean energy. There is also this bleak future we're facing where dependency on fossil fuels will doom our society to death and destruction of the wonderful lifestyle we currently enjoy. Somewhere between those two extremes is where our actual future is. If a new biotech company, LS9, has anything to say about it our future is closer to the brightness of limitless clean energy than the darkness of peak-oil-post-apocalyptic doom. LS9 has developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly from biomass. Deploying the tools of synthetic biology, the JBEI researchers engineered a strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria to produce biodiesel fuel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids.

What that means is taking pretty much any kind of plant material, feeding it to specially engineered bacteria, who then produce fuels.

Fuels and chemicals have been produced from the fatty acids in plant and animal oils for more than a century. These oils now serve as the raw materials not only for biodiesel fuel, but also for a wide range of important chemical products including surfactants, solvents and lubricants.

The researchers engineered a new strain of E. coli to produce hemicellulases - enzymes that are able to ferment hemicellulose, the complex sugars that are a major constituent of cellulosic biomass and a prime repository for the energy locked within plant cell walls. The work identifies a potentially cost-effective way of converting grass or crop waste directly into fuel, filling gas tanks without raising global food prices or increasing hunger and deforestation in far-flung locales. Moreover, the process is much more climate friendly than manufacturing ethanol from maize, and produces higher-energy fuels that are interchangeable with current petroleum products. The next step is to scale the process up and adapt it to cellulose, which makes up the bulk of plant material.

Article Reference: 

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Department of Energy - Secretary Chu Announces Closing of $1.4 Billion Loan to Nissan

Project expected to provide up to 1,300 Jobs in Tennessee

Washington D.C. --- U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced today that the Department of Energy has closed its $1.4 billion loan agreement with Nissan North America, Inc. to retool their Smyrna, Tennessee factory to build advanced electric automobiles and an advanced battery manufacturing facility. The two projects are expected to create up to 1,300 American jobs and conserve up to 65.4 million gallons of gasoline per year – an amount equal to six times the oil spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989.

"This is an investment in our clean energy future. It will bring the United States closer to reducing our dependence on foreign oil and help lower carbon pollution," said Secretary Chu. "We are committed to making strides to revitalize the American auto industry and supporting the development of clean energy vehicles."

Nissan plans to use the proceeds from the loan to produce its all-electric vehicle, the LEAF, at its existing Smyrna, Tennessee plant. Nissan will offer electric vehicles to fleet and retail customers, and plans to ramp up production capacity in Smyrna up to 150,000 vehicles annually.

Nissan is pursuing a global strategy of transitioning to electric vehicles. Building a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Smyrna, to produce 200,000 battery packs annually, is a significant part of that strategy. Nissan is also laying the groundwork in developing an infrastructure in the US to support electric vehicles. The company has formed partnerships with states, counties, municipalities, and electric utilities to prepare markets for the introduction of electric vehicles including the installation of charging stations.

Today’s announcement marks the third loan arrangement agreement signed by DOE with an advanced technology vehicle manufacturer. In September 2009, DOE signed its first loan agreement for $5.9 billion to Ford Motor Company. Last week, DOE also signed a $465 million loan agreement with Tesla Motors, which will be used to build manufacturing facilities in California for electric power-trains and Tesla's Model S electric sedan. The Department has also signed a conditional commitment with Fisker Automotive to build plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Tenneco, Inc. became the first advanced technology component manufacturer to obtain a conditional commitment from DOE in October of last year.

The Department was provided $7.5 billion for credit subsidy costs by Congress to cover up to $25 billion in direct loans to companies making cars and components in US factories that increase fuel economy at least 25 percent above 2005 fuel economy levels.

The agreement was negotiated and signed through the Department’s Loan Programs Office, which supports the development of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies to create thousands of clean energy jobs while helping reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

Media contact(s):
(202) 586-4940

Article Reference: 

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Monday, January 25, 2010

Department of Energy - Secretary Chu Announces Closing of $465 Million Loan to Tesla Motors

Projects Supported by DOE Expected to Create Over 1600 Jobs in California

Washington, DC – Today, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the Department of Energy has closed its $465 million loan with Tesla Motors, Inc. for construction of a manufacturing facility in southern California on the Model S electric sedan and a power-train manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California. The Palo Alto facility will assemble electric vehicle battery packs, electric motors, and related electric vehicle control equipment, both for Tesla’s own electric vehicles and for sale to other automobile manufacturers.

The agreement was negotiated and signed by the Department’s Loan Programs Office, which supports the development of innovative, advanced vehicle technologies to create thousands of clean energy jobs while helping reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

“This is an investment in our clean energy future that will create jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil,” said Secretary Chu. “It will help build a customer base and begin laying the foundation for American leadership in the growing electric vehicles industry. This is part of a sustained effort to develop and commercialize technologies that will be broadly deployed throughout the American auto industry.”

Tesla’s planned Model S will consume no gasoline and will not produce any tailpipe emissions. It is being designed to offer a variety of range options depending on the battery pack used, from 160 to 300 miles on a single charge. Volume production of the Model S is planned to begin in 2012 with a target production capacity of 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2013. According to Tesla, the Model S project and power-train manufacturing facility are expected to create over 1,600 jobs.

Today’s announcement marks the second loan arrangement agreement signed by DOE with an advanced technology vehicle manufacturer. In September 2009, DOE signed its first loan agreement for $5.9 billion to Ford Motor Company. The Department has also signed conditional commitments with Nissan North America, Inc. and Fisker Automotive. Tenneco Inc. became the first advanced technology component manufacturer to obtain a conditional commitment from DOE in October of last year. Nissan plans to build electric cars and battery packs at the company’s Smyrna, Tennessee manufacturing complex, while Fisker recently announced plans to build plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by reopening a shuttered GM plant in Wilmington, Delaware.

The Department of Energy was appropriated $7.5 billion by Congress to support up to $25 billion in loans to companies making cars and components in US factories that increase fuel economy at least 25 percent above 2005 fuel economy levels. The Department plans to make additional loans over the next several months to large and small auto manufacturers and parts suppliers up and down the production chain. The intense technical and financial review process is focused not on choosing a single technology over others, but is aimed at promoting multiple approaches for achieving a fuel efficient economy.

Media contact(s):
(202) 586-4940

Article Reference: 

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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

An Electric 'Game Changer' Gets FERC Scrutiny

A proposal to move large amounts of wind and solar power out of the Southwest by linking the three separate North American electricity grids with state-of-the-art switching terminals and superconducting cables is now in hands of federal regulators.

Tres Amigas LLC has petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for two key rulings ...

...The three terminals would receive alternating-current power from transmission companies in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, and convert it to direct-current flows using solid-state voltage source converters. The direct current would move between the three terminals to carry out any of six possible transactions: Power could flow into or out of Texas, for instance by way of the two interconnections, or it could move between the interconnections directly.

The use of direct current and voltage converters will overcome the current barrier to power transfers between Texas and the interconnections, each of which is operating out of sync electrically with the other, a condition that would destroy equipment if an alternating-current connection were made today....

...Harris said in an interview that he purposely did not seek Energy Department stimulus grants for the new technology and proclaimed confidence that the project can be privately financed through debt and equity investments....

Transmission providers can use the Tres Amigas connection to buy the cheaper power in one grid for sale in a higher-priced region, and Tres Amigas will profit by moving the energy, the firm's FERC filing says.

FERC's approval of Tres Amigas' flexible pricing proposal is essential, says Raskin. "To maximize the value of this facility, we need to have a combination of long-term and short-term pricing authority. We are pushing FERC's precedents."...

The Tres Amigas petition to FERC says that because energy is converted from an AC wave to a DC electronic pulse and then back into an AC wave synchronized with the receiving grid, the electrons in Texas are not "free flowing" into New Mexico or Oklahoma, preserving Texas' separation....

The Tres Amigas project stands to make an interesting and vital contribution to the state of renewable electricity production in the U.S. (see Tres Amigas Project in New Mexico promises more renewable energy through better electrical grid connectivity for more information) The south-west and especially west-texas regions have a lot of solar and wind power. The texas panhandle region has an especially strong wind resource. Further the regions are lightly populated. This makes them attractive for building wind and solar power installations but the problem is how to get power produced in those facilities to the market.

It turns out the U.S. electric market has three power regions. They are the Eastern Interconnection east of the Rocky Mountains, the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) west of the Rockies, and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Further the Texas statewide grid that Texas is a jurisdictional thing maintained by Texas to prevent federal regulation of its utility industry. This is a remnant of Texas's past as an independent nation which chose on its own to join the United States.

The Tres Amigas project creates an interchange between the three regions so that power can be sold between the regions. Hence electric production facilities can be built in, for example, the Texas Panhandle area and then sell power to the rest of the country. If there were no power sale agreement or interconnect then a producer in the Texas Panhandle could produce all the electricity they want but could only sell it to Texas.

As explained in the linked NY Times article the project has to jump through a few hoops to retain Texas' status as having its own electric power grid that isn't subject to federal regulation. It converts the alternating current electricity used on the grid into direct current electricity for exchange in the Tres Amigas interconnect facility. By doing the AC-DC-AC conversion they avoid a "direct flow" of electricity keeping FERC's grubby hands off Texas' electricity.

Sigh.

from Ephermeral Technosanity Ruminations


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Friday, January 15, 2010

Why scream about destruction of Appalachia ("mountain top removal") and not destruction of the Alberta tar sands region


Last week a hue and cry was raised over mountain top removal coal mining in Appalachia. This is such an egregiously bad mining practice that a panel of scientists called for its immediate halt. I mean, what part of "mountain top removal" does not scream in huge bloody letters "DESTRUCTION"??? The goal is to "remove" mountains to get at the coal underneath. Anybody with a half an ounce of awareness would see this.
In Alberta there is a huge deposit of "tar sands" which are being mined and processed to produce liquid oil. The mining process involves destroying whole forests, scraping up the ground, pouring the sands into machines, extracting the oil, and dumping the remaining stuff somewhere.
"Tar sands look like dirt and smell like diesel fuel." This makes them attractive to the oil industry. As I noted in "TechnoSanity #32: Fudged numbers in the IEA's World Energy Outlook, 2009??" it is well understood that oil supplies are running low, and that the world is looking to Canada to fill in the coming gap in production. The 2009 World Energy Outlook made it clear that oil supplies will not keep up with demand, if (when) the economy recovers to produce increased demand, and that the IAEA projects are that to keep up with oil demand in the future will require oil production from places like the Alberta tar sands.
A paper has been published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about the egregiously bad mining practices in the Alberta tar sands region. The report covers the high concentrations of various toxic chemical compounds found in the Athabasca River in Alberta as a result of enormous tar sands mining operations.
Currently, the majority of bitumen is recovered by surface-mining practices that require the clearing of large areas of land, resulting in loss of habitat, including migration corridors and breeding grounds for terrestrial and aquatic species. Methods for mitigating and remediating these effects are under development, but even when remediated the habitat will be considerably different from its previous state. These externalities are costs that should be considered when developing this resource....
Global demand for oil and the resulting economic potential mean that development of oil sands will continue. This development has the potential to impact society and the environment significantly. It is essential that any detrimental effects be mitigated as much as possible and that development proceed in a manner that minimizes effects on the health and welfare of the environment, wildlife, and humans like.
The question is why in the one case (Appalachia) it warrants calls for immediate cessation and in the other case (Alberta) it doesn't.
The key is "global demand .. will continue" meaning that "development of oil sands will continue". Canada could turn around and say it's not worth the horrid environmental harm to mine these tar sands, and refuse to allow it to happen. But they aren't doing so. The people of the world could realize that use of oil is a very bad thing, and that we should all stop the practice of using machines which require oil. Doing so would halt the demand for oil. But we aren't doing so in any significant numbers.
Dave Levitan writing on the ecopolitology goes a bit further. He took a look at the authors and found that some of them work for the Alberta Water Research Institute. This institute does research activities into, um, water. "But their Management Advisory Board is peppered with a few people who work for giant oil companies like Statoil Hydro and EPCOR. Like pretty much every large oil company in the world, those two have oil sands projects in Alberta."
Um, this is starting to stink of oil companies influencing researchers ... The line of connection is a bit weak. Just because oil companies are funding the institute employing the researchers doesn't mean oil companies are influencing the researchers. Does it?
Whatever the influence on these researchers one thing is clear from what they wrote in their paper. They are allowing the corporate activity of selling oil to meet the continued demand for oil to stop them from calling for a halt to tar sands oil mining. Even if the oil companies didn't influence them to say this, their actions are benefiting the oil companies and thereby allowing the oil companies to continue destroying and polluting the planet.


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Monday, January 11, 2010

EERE News: Recovery Act Announcement: Secretary Chu Announces $187 Million to Improve Vehicle Efficiency for Heavy-Duty Trucks and Passenger Vehicles

At an event today in Columbus, Indiana, Secretary Chu announced the selection of nine projects totaling more than $187 million to improve fuel efficiency for heavy-duty trucks and passenger vehicles. The funding includes more than $100 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and with a private cost share of 50%, will support nearly $375 million in total research, development, and demonstration projects across the country. The nine winners have stated their projects will create over 500 jobs, primarily researchers, engineers, and managers who will develop these new technologies. By 2015, the projects expect to create over 6,000 jobs—many in manufacturing and assembly.

Currently, the transportation sector accounts for 28% of total U.S. energy use. As these vehicle technologies are adopted broadly across the country, they could save more than 100 million gallons of gasoline and diesel per day, and reduce carbon emissions from on-road vehicles by 20% by 2030.

"By investing Recovery dollars in next generation fuel efficient trucks here at home, we're not only creating new job opportunities now, but helping lay a new foundation to keep American auto manufacturers competitive in the 21st century global marketplace," said Vice President Biden. "Through strategic public-private investments like these, the Recovery Act is helping lay the groundwork for an expansion of our clean energy economy."

"Improving the efficiency of our vehicles is critical to reducing America's dependence on foreign oil and addressing climate change," said Secretary Chu. "Today's awards will help demonstrate the potential benefits for long-haul trucks and passenger vehicles and will play an important role in building a more sustainable transportation system for the country."

Three projects will focus on cost-effective measures to improve the efficiency of Class 8 long-haul freight trucks by 50%. These projects will receive more than $115 million in funding to develop and demonstrate systems-level fuel efficiency technologies by 2015, including improved aerodynamics, reducing engine idling technologies, waste heat recovery to increase engine efficiency, advanced combustion techniques, and powertrain hybridization.

The remaining six projects totaling more than $71 million will support efforts to increase the fuel economy for passenger vehicle engines and powertrain systems. The goal is to develop engine technologies that will improve the fuel economy of passenger vehicles by 25-40% by 2015 using an engine-only approach.

The following projects have been selected for awards under two topic areas:

Systems Level Technology Development, Integration, and Demonstration for Efficient Class 8 Trucks (SuperTrucks)

  • Cummins Inc. - $38,831,115 - Columbus, Indiana: Develop and demonstrate a highly efficient and clean diesel engine, an advanced waste heat recovery system, an aerodynamic Peterbilt tractor and trailer combination, and a fuel cell auxiliary power unit to reduce engine idling.
  • Daimler Trucks North America, LLC - $39,559,868 - Portland, Oregon: Develop and demonstrate technologies including engine downsizing, electrification of auxiliary systems such as oil and water pumps, waste heat recovery, improved aerodynamics and hybridization.
  • Navistar, Inc. - $37,328,933 - Fort Wayne, Indiana: Develop and demonstrate technologies to improve truck and trailer aerodynamics, combustion efficiency, waste heat recovery, hybridization, idle reduction, and reduced rolling resistance tires.

Advanced Technology Powertrains for Light-Duty Vehicles (ATP-LD)

  • Chrysler Group LLC - $14,458,572 - Auburn Hills, Michigan: Develop a flexible combustion system for their minivan platform based on a downsized, turbocharged engine that uses direct gasoline injection, recirculation of exhaust gases, and flexible intake air control to reduce emissions.
  • Cummins Inc. - $15,000,000 - Columbus, Indiana: Develop a fuel-efficient, low emissions diesel engine that achieves a 40% fuel economy improvement over conventional gasoline technology and significantly exceeds 2010 EPA emissions requirements.
  • Delphi Automotive Systems LLC - $7,480,572 - Troy, Michigan: Develop a novel low-temperature combustion system, coupled with technologies such as continuously variable valve control and engine downspeeding, to improve fuel economy by at least 25%.
  • Ford Motor Company - $15,000,000 - Dearborn, Michigan: Achieve a 25% fuel economy improvement with a gasoline engine in a 2010 mid- to large-size sedan using technologies including engine downsizing, turbo-charging, direct injection, and a novel exhaust aftertreatment system.
  • General Motors Co. - $7,705,862 - Pontiac, Michigan: Develop an engine that uses lean combustion and active heat management, as well as a novel emissions control system, to improve the fuel economy of a 2010 Malibu demonstration vehicle by 25%.
  • Robert Bosch - $11,953,786 - Farmington Hills, Michigan: Demonstrate a high compression, turbo-charged engine based on homogenous charge compression ignition technology (a combustion technology that allows for lower emissions and higher efficiency) to achieve up to 30% fuel economy improvement in a gasoline-fueled light-duty vehicle.

The lead applicant on each proposal is listed above. The final details of each award contract will be finalized in negotiations between DOE and the grantee.

Article Reference: 

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Friday, January 8, 2010

Department of Energy - DOE Announces Clean Energy Projects for Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas Initiative


WASHINGTON, D.C. – In support of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas announced by President Obama at the 2009 Summit of the Americas, Secretary Steven Chu announced today that the U.S. Department of Energy has selected three initial projects under the Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas (LCCA) - a program launched in June 2009 to assist countries in Latin America with sustainable energy market transformation initiatives.

“DOE is committed to advancing clean energy technology development and deployment globally,” said Secretary Chu. “The Low-Carbon Communities of the Americas initiative offers an opportunity for the Department to work closely with our neighbors to reduce energy use, increase energy security, and promote a low-carbon future across the Western Hemisphere.”

Through the LCCA program, DOE invited countries to submit proposals for collaboration in areas including renewable energy development and building and industrial energy efficiency. DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with other National Laboratories, will provide technical assistance to countries receiving support under the initiative.

Later this year, Secretary Chu will host his counterparts from North and South America at the Energy Ministerial of the Americas to continue developing and expanding joint clean energy and climate efforts. The Energy Ministerial will be held from April 15-16 in Washington, D.C.
DOE and NREL have selected the following three projects under the LCCA:

Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica

The government of Costa Rica, along with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), will create an Energy Efficiency Center in Costa Rica that will train and certify professionals in energy efficient technology and auditing procedures, and help expand the technical knowledge base and capabilities of countries across Central America. Once established, the Center will partner with leading energy efficiency organizations to conduct its own research on efficiency programs and energy savings in tropical areas. The results of this research would benefit the Central American and Caribbean region as a whole, as well as provide important information for other nations with similar climates. The project will bring together DOE, Costa Rica’s electricity and telecommunications group ICE, the NRDC, and the University of Costa Rica to create the program and training materials, train the Center’s future instructors, and run two initial energy efficiency auditor training courses.
At an event earlier this week in San José, Costa Rica, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sánchez joined with DOE officials and representatives of Costa Rica’s Ministry of Energy and Environment, ICE, NRDC and the University of Costa Rica to launch the Center.

Building Low-Carbon Communities in the Caribbean

This proposal from the Organization of American States (OAS) and several Caribbean governments will enable participating countries to expand the development and use of renewable energy and energy efficiency systems, helping to increase the sustainability of their energy supplies while reducing carbon emissions. The project will target local training and technical programs on how to conduct energy efficiency audits and retrofits. There will also be a focus on strengthening communities’ capacity to review and evaluate resource assessments related to indigenous renewable natural resources. This project will engage St. Lucia, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts & Nevis, The Bahamas, Antigua & Barbuda, and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.

Dominica Wind Project

This project proposed by Dominica aims to prove the viability of smaller, distributed wind generation as an alternative to traditional, megawatt-class, utility-scale turbines. Efforts will take into consideration available technologies, economics, and constructability to identify and model appropriate turbine technologies under 250 kilowatts. The Dominica Wind Project will also model commercialization strategies and the impact on the electrical grid of small distributed wind generation, assess the impact on energy costs for consumers, purchase and install initial pilot turbines, and implement a public information campaign to expand the use of renewable energy.

Article Reference: 

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EERE News: Recovery Act Announcement: President Obama Awards $2.3 Billion for New Clean-Tech Manufacturing Jobs

Today at the White House, President Obama announced the award of $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States. One hundred eighty three projects in 43 states will create tens of thousands of high quality clean energy jobs and the domestic manufacturing of advanced clean energy technologies including solar, wind, and efficiency and energy management technologies.

As part of the Recovery Act, these tax credits are focused on putting Americans back to work by building a robust domestic manufacturing capacity to supply clean and renewable energy projects with American made parts and equipment. These credits are also an important step towards meeting the President's goal of doubling the amount of renewable energy the country uses in the next three years with wind turbines and solar panels built right here in the United States.

"Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future," said President Obama. "The Recovery Act awards I am announcing today will help close the clean energy gap that has grown between America and other nations while creating good jobs, reducing our carbon emissions, and increasing our energy security."

"By investing in innovative clean energy manufacturing projects like these, we are not only creating good jobs now, but helping lay a new foundation to keep America competitive in the 21st century economy," said Vice President Biden. "This is what the Recovery Act is all about."

"There is no greater priority for this Administration than getting Americans back to work," said Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. "The awards announced today, together with the more than $5 billion in private sector capital spurred by our investment, will drive significant growth in the renewable energy and clean technology manufacturing sectors, good jobs, an energized private sector marketplace, and a leadership role for the U.S. in these crucial high-growth markets."

"The world urgently needs to move toward clean energy technologies, and the United States has the opportunity to lead in this new industrial revolution," said Secretary Chu. "Today's awards will create new jobs and jumpstart the industries we need to both solve the energy problem and ensure America's future competitiveness."

This effort, along with other Recovery Act investments, will drive significant growth in the renewable energy and clean technology manufacturing sectors and give the United States the ability to lead globally in these markets. The investment tax credits, worth up to 30% of each planned project, will leverage private capital for a total investment of nearly $7.7 billion in high-tech manufacturing in the United States.

The projects announced today address the broad spectrum of manufacturing capabilities needed to support a robust clean energy economy. The projects were competitively selected through a rigorous merit review process and the companies chosen say they will create more than 17,000 jobs in some of the fastest growing parts of our economy.

Today's announcement includes tax credits for numerous clean energy technologies and companies, including:

Smart Grid - Itron, Inc.'s OpenWay CENTRON meter is one of the first smart meters for the residential market providing built-in, two-way communications and a remote on/off switch which will give customers more choice and enable utilities to provide higher reliability at lower cost.

The expansion of manufacturing capacity in their facility in South Carolina will allow an annual production of four million meters. Itron estimates that one year's production of the meters will be able to reduce electricity use by approximately 1.7 million MWh per year.

Building Efficiency and Energy Management - W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is producing an advanced membrane for high efficiency fuel cells for buildings and vehicles. The company's products can help enable lower-cost fuel cells for use in electric vehicles or to power homes and businesses. They are also manufacturing an advanced turbine filter to improve the performance of gas turbines to produce greater outputs at lower cost and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Solar Energy - PPG Industries, Inc. will produce a double anti-reflective coating for glass to make solar cells more efficient. At their Louisiana facility, PPG will produce a special tire tread component that reduces rolling resistance and improves fuel economy. Before the solar industry had begun, PPG pioneered the first low-iron glass that has been used in solar cells and on countless solar installations over the past two decades. Today, this credit will help to expand the manufacture of one of the critical components of glass solar cells, the transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coatings of the glass, without which the cells cannot function.

Wind Energy - TPI Composites, Inc. is building a new manufacturing facility in Nebraska to produce next generation wind turbine blades. TPI says the facility will create over 200 new jobs and will have a capacity equivalent to supplying 265 turbines rated at 2.5 MW for a total electrical output of 663 MW TPI will also be expanding their existing manufacturing facility in Iowa to meet the anticipated increased demand for composite wind turbine blades. TPI's composite materials made in both facilities are used to make lighter and stronger wind turbine blades and lighter and stronger (and more fuel efficient) vehicles.

While projects selected for this tax credit generally must be placed in service by 2014, approximately 30% of them will be completed in 2010.

As part of an innovative partnership between the Departments of Treasury and Energy, the two cabinet agencies worked together to develop, launch, and award the funds for this program in record time. The Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit authorized Treasury to provide developers with an investment tax credit of 30% for facilities that manufacture particular types of energy equipment. Qualifying manufacturers will produce solar, wind, and geothermal energy equipment; fuel cells, microturbines, and batteries; electric cars; electric grids to support the transmission of renewable energy; energy conservation technologies; and equipment that captures and sequesters carbon dioxide or reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

SELECTIONS FOR SECTION 48C MANUFACTURING TAX CREDIT

  • 1165 AAF-McQuay, Inc. $570,000 Buildings Columbia MO Louisville KY AAF will re-equip its manufacturing facility to establish a versatile mini-pleating and assembly process that is a capable of making polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and other synthetic media air filters for the ASHRAE (American Association of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) and HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) markets. The end result will be a new product family of air filtration products to achieve lowest air pressure drop.
  • 1166 AAF-McQuay, Inc. $1,374,300 Buildings Fairbault MN Louisville KY AAF will re-equip a manufacturing facility for the production of rooftop air-conditioning systems used on Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
  • 3693 AAF-McQuay, Inc. $774,937 Buildings Verona VA Verona VA AAF plans to re-equip a manufacturing facility to produce Next-Generation Centrifugal Chiller Rooftop Air Conditioning systems. The chillers are significantly more energy-efficient than those currently on the market.
  • 2447 Abound Solar, Inc. $12,600,000 Solar PV Longmont CO Longmont CO Abound Solar will expand facility capacity with an additional manufacturing line. This facility is solely dedicated to commercial production of PV solar panels using cadmium telluride semiconductor technology.
  • 3695 Acuity Brands, Inc. $225,000 Buildings Wallingford CT Wallingford CT Acuity Brands will re-equip an existing facility with equipment used in the production of energy-saving lighting sensors. Sensors are used in lighting applications to control light levels based on occupancy and are used in daylighting systems.
  • 3696 Acuity Brands, Inc. $547,097 Buildings Crawfordsville IN Crawfordsville IN Acuity plans to manufacture three energy-efficient LED luminaire outdoor products in its production facility. Lighting fixtures that include light-emitting diode (“LED”) technologies can dramatically reduce energy consumption while reducing maintenance costs associated with the luminaire due to longer product lifetimes.
  • 1185 AcuTemp $900,000 Buildings Dayton OH Dayton OH Acutemp will purchase equipment for a six-fold increase in manufacturing of high performance Vacuum Insulation Panels for residential refrigerators. The panels are used in high efficiency Energy Star appliances.
  • 2450 Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. $1,230,000 Solar Components and Materials Ft. Collins CO Ft. Collins CO Advanced Energy Industries plans to establish a manufacturing facility for the production ofcommercial and utility-scale solar inverters. Inverters are used to integrate solar PV installations.
  • 3698 Aerovironment, Inc $310,800 Battery Monrovia CA Monrovia CA Aeroenvironment plans to manufacture a patent pending Mobile Charger that combines a battery pack with a Level 3 DC connector. It is designed for on-road service trucks to provide a quick charge to stranded battery electric vehicles similar to an “out-of-gas” situation.
  • 5567 Aerovironment, Inc $369,600 Battery Monrovia CA Monrovia CA Aeroenvironment plans to purchase equipment for manufacturing 25kWh LiTiO advanced battery packs and battery management systems.
  • 1170 Airxchange Inc. $920,870 Buildings Rockland MA Rockland MA Airxchange will expand a facility to produce Enthalpy/Energy Recovery Wheels (ERWs) that recycle up to 80% of previously expended energy in building exhaust air. The products allow preconditioning of incoming outdoor air 5-7 times more efficiently than conventional heating and airconditioning systems reducing design heating, cooling, humidification and dehumidifiation loads and conserving energy summer and winter.
  • 1171 Alstom Inc.and Subsidiaries $63,000,000 Nuclear Chattanooga TN Windsor CT Alstom will establish a new turbine manufacturing facility designed to manufacture the world’s largest steam turbines, with unit output up to 1700 MW. The new facility will focus on turbines used in advanced nuclear power plants, retrofitting existing turbines in nuclear power plants with higher efficiency technologies, turbines in new hydro power plants, and retrofitting existing turbines in hydro power plants with higher efficiency technologies.
  • 1262 Alstom Inc.and Subsidiaries $2,725,800 Wind Towers Amarillo TX Windsor CT The Alstom assembly factory will produce and assemble the complete nacelle for wind turbines including (hub, gearbox, frames, generator, electrical convertor, etc.) for its 60Hz North American product line. This product line is comprised of two wind turbine platforms; the ECO80 (1.67MW) and the larger ECO 100 (3.0MW).
  • 4465 American Railcar Industries $3,654,096 Wind Towers Marmaduke AR Fort Dodge IA American Railcar Industries will re-equip a manufacturing plant for the production of 500 structural steel towers per year for large-scale commercial wind turbines used to generate wind energy.
  • 4464 American Railcar Industries $5,347,464 Wind Towers Fort Dodge IA Fort Dodge IA American Railcar Industries will re-equip a rail car manufacturing plant for the production of 500 structural steel towers per year for large-scale commercial wind turbines.
  • 2464 Amonix, Inc $3,629,998 Solar PV Phoenix AZ Phoenix AZ Amonix will manufacture low-cost solar electricity systems using inexpensive plastic lenses that concentrate sunlight. The systems generate 500 times more solar electric power from small, high efficiency solar cells.
  • 2465 Amonix, Inc $5,889,149 Solar PV Las Vegas NV Las Vegas NV Amonix will manufacture low-cost solar electricity systems using inexpensive plastic lenses that concentrate sunlight. The systems generate 500 times more solar electric power from small, high efficiency solar cells.
  • 3334 Applied Photovoltaics, LLC $1,068,986 Solar PV Ewing NJ Titusville NJ Applied Photovoltaics will manufacture solar energy modules for use in building integrated photovoltaics.
  • 6006 Bassett, Inc. (dba Bassett Mechanical) $868,500 Wind Turbines Kaukauna WI Kaukauna WI Bassett Inc. will manufacture wind turbine towers (for 100-1,000 KW turbines) and foundation components for all sizes of turbines.
  • 4470 Bassett, Inc. (dba Bassett Mechanical) $75,000 CCS Kaukauna WI Kaukauna WI Bassett Inc. will manufacture Carbon Capture and Sequestration systems to extract/trap carbon from waste streams from coal fired power plants.
  • 4474 Brevini Wind USA, Inc. $12,750,000 Wind Turbines Yorktown IN Muncie IN Brevini Wind will establish a new manufacturing facitlity that will produce Main Drive Gear Boxes for wind turbine manufacturers. The product allows servicing of the gear box without the use of heavy lifting equipment to remove the entire gearbox from the wind turbine.
  • 3356 CaliSolar, Inc. $51,563,980 Solar CSI Sunnyvale CA Sunnyvale CA CaliSolar will build a new manufacturing facility to process silicon feedstock into finished solar cells.
  • 1175 CalStar Products $2,443,547 Industrial Caledonia WI Caledonia WI CalStar Products will manufacture bricks and pavers from coal power plant fly ash. The process uses 88% less energy than traditional "fired" clay products, while avoiding the CO2 emission associated with concrete, and makes beneficial use of fly ash.
  • 4479 Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co $480,000 Wind Turbines Bedford OH Bedford Hts. OH Cardinal Fastener & Specialty will manufacture hot forged, critical fasteners used in wind turbines - transportation bolts, tower bolts, nacelle bolts, and blade studs
  • 3361 Centrosolar Oregon LLC $4,740,000 Solar CSI Gresham OR Gresham OR Centrosolar Oregon LLC plans to build a manufacturing plant for PV solar modules based on crystalline silicon cells.
  • 1179 CertainTeed Corporation $1,012,500 Buildings Norwood MA Norwood MA CertainTeed will manufacture residential cool shingles that meet or exceed Energy Star criteria and are LEED qualified. The high-solar reflecting shingles will reduce electricity for cooling, reduce GHG, and smog formation while maintaining aesthetically pleasing colors.
  • 1246 Climate Master Inc. $8,941,626 Geo/Buildings Oklahoma City OK Oklahoma City OK Climate Master will expand the capacity of existing manufacturing facilities that produce water-source heat pumps (WSHP), the core technology used in geothermal heat pump systems. Geothermal heat pumps allow high efficiency space heating and cooling.
  • 1181 Coolerado Corporation $750,000 Buildings Denver CO Denver CO Coolerado will manufacture commercial and residential air conditioning units that use a heat exchanger incorporating an innovative thermodynamic cycle to cool the air. The patented process creates a healthier, more comfortable living environment while significantly reducing energy costs.
  • 1182 Cooper Power Systems, LLC $495,510 Smart Grid Nacogdoches TX Nacogdoches TX Cooper Power Systems' new facility will produce electrical transformers with amorphous steel cores. Amorphous steel core transformers provide 70% lower no-load losses than normal steel transformers.
  • 3706 Cooper Power Systems, LLC $846,180 Smart Grid Waukesha WI Waukesha WI Cooper Power Systems' new facility will be producing high efficiency transformers. The basis of Cooper’s high efficiency technology lies with the higher grade of steel used to produce the core and coil of the transformer. Cooper utilizes the proper grade and quantity of silicon grain oriented steel in their manufacturing process to create a higher efficiency product.
  • 1183 Cree Inc. $39,087,000 Buildings Durham NC Durham NC Cree will purchase new equipment to add capacity and capability to lower production costs of LED chips and fixtures. LED lighting technologies represent a new source of high efficiency lighting.
  • 6012 Dow Corning - Solar Silane $27,300,000 Solar PV Hemlock MI Hemlock MI Dow Corning - Solar Silane will build a new monosilane facility with 60% of production dedicated to the solar PV market. Monosilane is a key component in the production of amorphous thin-film solar panels.
  • 1190 Ductmate Industries, Inc. $192,000 Buildings Tulsa OK Tulsa OK Ductmate will expand manufacturing and tooling capabilities for the production of energy efficient HVAC ductwork featuring self-sealing fixtures.
  • 1189 Ductmate Industries, Inc. $82,500 Buildings Monongahela PA Monongahela PA Ductmate will expand manufacturing and tooling capabilities for the production of energy efficient HVAC ductwork featuring self-sealing fixtures.
  • 5566 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. $50,730,000 Solar PV Circleville OH Wilmington DE Dupont will expand production of high-performance polyvinyl fluoride films. These films are used to produce the critical protective backsheet component of solar photovoltaic modules.
  • 4492 Eagle Claw Fabrication LLC $4,372,800 Wind Towers Muskogee OK Muskogee OK Eagle Claw will manufacture large wind turbine towers, a component piece of wind turbine systems used to generate electricity from wind energy. Towers are typically 250 to 400 feet tall and are composed of sections approximately 100 feet long that weigh 50 tons.
  • 1247 Ener-G-Rotors, Inc. $834,000 Industrial Schenectady NY Schenectady NY Ener-G-Rotors will install manufacturing capacity to build systems that turn low temperature heat from industrial processes, from 180F to 240F, into 50kW of electricity.
  • 4495 Enertech, Inc. $157,500 Wind Turbines Newton KS Newton KS Enertech will expand its manufacturing plant to accommodate development, fabrication, and assembly of two new small-scale wind turbine models using innovate blade design and fabrication processes.
  • 3404 FAFCO, INC. $214,500 Solar Hot Water Chico CA Chico CA FAFCO will develop a next generation low cost, polymer based solar hot water heating system for homes. The complete system in a box will be low cost and easy to install.
  • 3406 First Solar, Inc. $16,320,000 Solar PV Perrysberg OH Tempe AZ First Solar will expand its manufacturing facility to produce fully completed thin-film solar modules. The solar modules are manufactured using a thin film of cadmium telluride (CdTe) as a semi-conductor material, which converts sunlight to electricity more efficiently than traditional crystalline silicon semi-conductor material.
  • 3407 Flabeg Solar U.S. Corporation $10,187,618 Solar CSP Clinton PA Clinton PA Flabeg Solar U.S. Corporation will produce high-temperature solar thermal mirrors for concentrating solar power plants. The facility will produce both bent and flat mirrors for parabolic trough and power tower solar plants.
  • 4500 Flame Metals Processing $1,350,000 Wind Turbines Rogers MI Rogers MN Flame Metals will purchase equipment used in heat treatment of gears for the gear assembly used in wind turbines.
  • 1194 General Electric Company - Appliances $8,700,000 Industrial Louisville KY Louisville KY GE will redevelop a manufacturing facility to produce Energy Star compliant heat pump electric water heaters that significantly improve energy efficiency compared to a traditional tank water heater.
  • 1196 General Electric Consumer & Industrial $6,491,160 Buildings Decatur AL Decatur AL GE will purchase machinery and equipment to produce efficient refrigerators, resulting in greenhouse gas reductions and energy savings.
  • 3719 General Electric Gas Turbines (Greenville) LLC $26,862,000 Industrial Greenville SC Greenville SC GE will manufacture its 7FA heavy duty gas turbines that will deliver greater output and efficiency. The turbine will help reduce GHG emissions, while maintaining leadership in reliability, availability, and the operational flexibility that power generators need to achieve greater revenues in cyclic and peaking operation.
  • 1053 General Electric Lighting, Inc $19,831,680 Buildings Bucyrus OH East Cleveland OH GE will re-equip a lamp plant to manufacture energy conserving T8 and T5 linear fluorescent lamps. These lamps will primarily replace less efficient T12 linear fluorescent lamps and HID lamps.
  • 4511 GEMX Technologies LLC $25,500,000 Battery Schenectady NY Schenectady NY GEMX will re-equip an existing manufacturing facility. The facility will produce sodium metal halide batteries for various markets, including electricity grid support and regulation services to help support renewable energy penetration levels, enable remote power systems based on renewable energy sources, and help increase efficiency by reduced peak power demands.
  • 1193 General Electric $4,800,000 Industrial Louisville KY Louisville KY GE will manufacture a commercially viable Heat Pump Clothes Dryer for residential application.
  • 1142 General Electric Company $11,304,900 Buildings Louisville KY Louisville KY GE will re-equip a facility to manufacture new Energy Star compliant appliances – specifically, Ultra-high Efficient Dishwashers. This new dishwasher line will exceed the future, anticipated ENERGY STAR standards for residential dishwashers and be designed to plug into the ‘smart grid’ to effectively manage peak electrical demand.
  • 1279 General Electric Company $11,860,058 Industrial Rutland VT NA NA GE Aviation will purchase machinery and equipment that will be used to manufacture the new GEnx aircraft engine. The GEnx engine will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the annual fuel consumption for its operators.
  • 4518 Great Lakes Industry, Inc $1,301,190 Wind Turbines Jackson MI Jackson MI Great Lakes Industry will manufacture component precision gears for multi-megawatt wind turbine gearboxes. Nearly all multi-megawatt wind turbines use highly efficient gearboxes to drive electrical generator(s) inside the turbine nacelle.
  • 3426 GreenRay, Inc. $180,000 Solar Components and Materials Westford MA Westford MA GreenRay will manufacture a simplified "plug and play" AC solar electricity system for residential rooftops.
  • 3430 Guardian Automotive Products Inc. $3,375,000 Solar CSP Auburn IN Auburn IN Guardian Automotive will re-equip an existing manufacturing facility for the purpose of producing bent solar mirrors. This project will double production capabilities to create 1 million bent solar mirrors annually to support the concentrating solar power industry.
  • 3432 Guardian Automotive Products Inc. $525,000 Solar CSP Auburn IN Auburn IN Guardian Automotive wil re-equip an existing manufacturing facility to produce solar bent mirrors. The company will use new equipment to add the reflective coating to flat glass prior to bending to achieve the optimal reflective performance demanded by solar field developers.
  • 3431 Guardian Automotive Products, Inc. $1,249,800 Solar CSP Auburn IN Auburn IN Guardian Automotive will re-equip existing manufacturing facilities to produce solar bent mirrors. Guardian is extending its technological capabilities from advanced radical bent windshields into the solar industry.
  • 3433 Guardian Industries Corp $2,707,560 Solar CSP Carleton MI Carleton MI Guardian Industries will expand production for an existing facility to produce unique low iron pattern glass used in solar applications. Once completed, this facility would be the only US owned manufacturer of solar low iron pattern glass in North America and would enable the production of more than 600MW of crystalline silicon modules
  • 3436 Guardian Industries Corp $900,000 Solar CSP DeWitt IA DeWitt IA Guardian Industries will re-equip an existing manufacturing facility to produce bent solar mirrors. The project will modify and enhance the existing mirror line to enable the facility to mirror glass in a single throughput on the production line, while at the same time achieving a multi-layer specialized paint coating to protect and preserve the reflective layers of copper and silver. Preservation of these reflective layers is critical to the achievement of long service lives of highly reflective solar mirrors.
  • 6011 Hemlock Semiconductor Corp. $141,870,000 Solar Components and Materials Hemlock MI Hemlock MI Hemlock Semiconductor will expand a manufacturing plant that produces polycrystalline-silicon used in the production of solar panels. The plants, when fully operational, will produce 19,200 metric tons per year.
  • 4523 Hexcel Corporation $8,139,510 Wind Blades Windsor CO Windsor CO Hexcel Corporation will establish a technologically advanced manufacturing facility to produce high-performance epoxy, glass, and carbon fiber composite materials. The composites will be used in the manufacture of wind turbine blades.
  • 1148 Ice Energy, Inc. $1,508,973 Smart Grid Hammondsport NY Windsor CO Ice Energy will expand a facility to design and manufacture energy storage modules for use with direct expansion air conditioners commonly found in commercial and small industrial applications. When deployed, the asset enables the storage of electricity from renewable energy resources in the form of ice.
  • 1200 ilumisys, Inc. $1,305,480 Buildings Troy MI Troy MI ilumisys will automate manufacture of LED replacements for fluorescent lighting.
  • 4528 Ingeteam Inc. $1,665,299 Wind Turbines Milwaukee WI Milwaukee WI Ingeteam Inc. will manufacture wind turbine generators in various technologies, including PMG, DFM, xDFM. They will also manufacture power converter and control systems for both the wind and solar industry.
  • 2222 Itron $5,151,000 Smart Grid West Union SC West Union SC Itron plans to re-equip an existing facility to produce the OpenWay CENTRON meter, a fully inter-operable, solid-state smart meter with a built-in, two-way communications path and integrated remote on/off switch. The CENTRON meter is the first advanced meter for the residential market providing open-standards architecture, modular design for communications flexibility, and extensive functionality to support smart grid infrastructure.
  • 4530 Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication, Inc. $2,385,494 Wind Towers Santa Teresa NM Santa Teresa NM Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication will establish and design a facility to manufacture commercial wind towers. The facility will produce property that, after further manufacturing, will become Specified Advanced Energy Property used in the production of energy from wind resources.
  • 4531 Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication, Inc. $1,421,852 Wind Towers Canutillo TX Canutillo TX Johnson Plate & Tower Fabrication, Inc. will re-equip a facility to manufacture commercial wind towers to be used ultimately with turbines to generate renewable energy.
  • 4533 Kaydon $1,774,800 Wind Turbines Milwaukee WI Ann Arbor MI Kaydon will apply the tax credits to re-equip and expand an existing manufacturing facility to produce “critical pitch and yaw” bearings used in the production and assembly of wind energy turbines.
  • 4542 Martifer-Hirschfeld Energy Systems LLC $3,474,269 Wind Towers San Angelo TX San Angelo TX Martifer-Hirschfeld Energy Systems LLC will develop a factory for the production of steel towers for wind turbine generators. This evolution will allow the wind tower plant to achieve considerable gains in terms of efficiency and in production times.
  • 4545 Merrill Technologies Group $22,021,500 Wind Towers Saginaw MI Saginaw MI Merrill Technologies Group will invest $73 million in advanced manufacturing equipment to support the production of nacelles for Northern Power's new 2.2 MW utillity-scale wind turbine. Project will progress through prototype and pilot phases into serial production.
  • 2226 Metglas, Inc. $4,890,000 Smart Grid Conway SC Conway SC Metglas, Inc. will purchase equipment for a casting expansion to increase domestic production of amorphous metals that form the core of the most energy efficient transformers. The equipment will reduce the amount of lost electricity due to transformer distribution losses.
  • 3484 Miasole $10,450,200 Solar PV Santa Clara CA Santa Clara CA Miasole will manufacture Solar PV Cells and modules based on an innovative thin-film production technology. These Solar PV Cells will drive lower the costs of renewable clean electricity generation.
  • 3485 Miasole $91,350,000 Solar PV Santa Clara CA Santa Clara CA Miasole will manufacture Solar PV Cells and modules based on an innovative thin-film production technology. These Solar PV Cells will drive lower the costs of renewable clean electricity generation.
  • 4547 Mistubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. $5,100,000 Wind Turbines Fort Smith AR Fort Smith AR Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas, Inc. will create a new facility that will manufacture nacelles for 2.4MW wind turbines. These nacelles will be used for the production of wind energy.
  • 1212 Monogram Refrigeration, LLC $7,257,882 Buildings Selmer TN Selmer TN Monogram Refigeration, LLC will install newly purchased machinery and equipment to produce both Energy Star-qualified and non-Energy Star qualified refrigerators. The creation of these energy efficient appliances will result in a reduction of energy usage.
  • 3491 Nanosolar $43,453,309 Solar PV San Jose CA San Jose CA Nanosolar will factory produce tools for the manufacturing of low-cost, low-GHG emission solar cells, using nanotechnology-enabled roll-to-roll processes. Tools enable high throughput production steps including printing of electronic ink, annealing, various deposition steps, cell assembly, and quality control and testing of structural and functional properties of product.
  • 4555 Nordex USA Inc $22,153,500 Wind Turbines Jonesboro AR Jonesboro AR Nordex USA, Inc. will build its first facility for wind turbines. This project will use renewable energy and will help build wind turbines to generate renewable energy.
  • 4556 Nordic Windpower $3,000,000 Wind Turbines Pocatello ID Pocatello ID Nordic Windpower will establish manufacturing operations for an innovative wind turbine technology that uses two blades and a patented teeter-hub technology that dampens loads. The end product will result in a lightweight turbine that is at least 10% less costly to manufacture, install, operate and maintain than competing systems for renewable wind energy production.
  • 2440 Novozymes Blair, Inc. $28,401,000 Biomass Blair NE Blair NE Novozymes Blair, Inc will install equipment at a new manufacturing facility to produce biocatalysts (enzymes) used in manufacturing cellulosic ethanol from corn stover by the biochemical platform (biomass pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, distillation). These biocatalysts will aid the production of biofuels as a renewable energy source.
  • 3502 Pacific Metal Fab, LLC $303,801 Solar Hot Water - This panel May move with timing Eugene OR Eugene OR Pacific Metal Fab, LLC will re-equip and expand its manufacturing facility to produce components for passive solar water heaters, specifically tanks, plumbing modules, and the frames that hold them. These components will promote greater energy efficiency in appliances.
  • 1152 Porocel Industries, LLC $2,880,000 Battery Little Rock AR Cincinnati OH Porocel Industries, LLC will construct and operate a plant for drying, grinding, calcining, and packaging process steps for the production of intermediate material used in the production of Conoco Phillips’ CPreme® Anode. The result will aid in competitive domestic battery manufacturing capability.
  • 3518 PPG Industries, Inc. $267,476 Solar PV Mt. Zion PA Mt. Zion PA PPG Industries will manufacture a Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) coating for glass to be used as a substrate to construct photovoltaic solar cells. The result will aid in competitive domestic solar PV panel manufacturing.
  • 3517 PPG Industries, Inc. $149,100 Solar PV Carlisle PA Carlisle PA PPG Industries will produce a double anti-reflective coating for glass that will permit increased light transmittance in solar modules. The result will aid in competitive domestic solar PV panel manufacturing.
  • 1217 PPG Industries, Inc. $1,260,000 Vehicles Lake Charles LA Lake Charles LA PPG Industries will manufacture Hi Sil 190 G and Hi Sil HDP 320 G, highly dispersible silica and to sell to tire manufacturers. The product, when incorporated into the tire rubber, will create a tire with reduced rolling resistance. The resulting product will increase vehicle fuel efficiency.
  • 1153 Premium Power $3,000,000 Smart Grid North Reading MA North Reading MA Premium Power will establish a manufacturing facility to produce its proprietary Zinc-Flow® advanced renewable energy storage systems. The technology will deliver high energy storage density, long product life, and deep discharge capability for use in SmartGrid.
  • 1242 Ramgen Power Systems, LLC $4,767,438 CCS Orlean NY Bellevue WA Ramgen Power Systems, LLC will produce a CO2 compressor capable of converting coal plant CO2 into a supercritical fluid that can be sequestered. The result is projected to be more efficient and cost-effective for Carbon Capture and Storage.
  • 3542 ReflecTech, Inc. $750,000 Solar CSP Arvada CO Arvada CO ReflecTech, Inc will manufacture Mirror Facets made with ReflecTech® Mirror Film which will reflect sunlight onto the receivers of Parabolic Trough Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) collector systems. Facets will match or exceed the optical and structural characteristics of the existing glass mirrors, but will aim to be more cost-efficient and durable. The end product will aid domestic solar power production.
  • 2441 RE-Gen LLC $903,480 Biomass Millinocket ME Rockport ME RE-Gen will build a factory to produce Biomass Gasification Furnaces with a capacity of 250 systems/year. The result will aid the domestic biofuels industry while promoting energy efficiency.
  • 1221 Ringdale, Inc. $450,000 Buildings Georgetown TX Georgetown TX Ringdale will purchase equipment to expand production capacity of commercial LED lighting and advanced lighting controls technology. The results will address outdoor, street, area lights, and indoor recessed down-lights, and will promote greater energy efficiency.
  • 3546 Rioglass Solar Inc $10,692,000 Solar CSP Surprise AZ Berkeley CA Rioglass Solar Inc will manufacture tempered glass parabolic mirrors designated for use in concentrated solar power plants. The placement of the mirrors are specifically integrated to derive maximum electrical production from the sun. The resulting technologies will aid domestic solar panel production.
  • 1157 Rogers Foam Automotive Corporation $300,000 Battery Flint MI Flint MI Rogers Foam Automotive Corporation will manufacture a component to be used in the thermal management system of Lithium Ion Battery assemblies for electrical vehicles. This sub-component consists of an outer gasket, which locates the component in the assembly, a multi-layer pressure conformable membrane,which provides the constant pressure and a bonding agent, which attaches the outer gasket and membrane. The resulting product will aid domestic battery manufacturing for electric vehicles.
  • 4572 Roller Bearing Co. of America, Inc $4,155,000 Wind Turbines Houston TX Oxford CT Roller Bearing Company of America, Inc will produce turbine blade and yaw bearings, both of which will be used in wind turbines. The blades are attached to a hub by large pitch bearings which facilitate movement allowing optimal performance with varying wind conditions. Yaw bearings allow the nacelle to be directed into the wind allowing more efficient conversion of wind into electricity. The resulting technologies will aid domestic production of wind turbines and renewable wind energy.
  • 4571 Roller Bearing Co. of America, Inc. $4,157,400 Wind Turbines Oxford CT Oxford CT Roller Bearing Company of America, Inc will produce turbine blade and yaw bearings, both of which will be used in wind turbines. The blades are attached to a hub by large pitch bearings which facilitate movement allowing optimal performance with varying wind conditions. Yaw bearings allow the nacelle to be directed into the wind allowing more efficient conversion of wind into electricity. The resulting technologies will aid domestic production of wind turbines and renewable wind energy.
  • 4574 S&C Electric Company $5,100,000 Smart Grid Chicago IL Chicago IL S&C Electric Company will re-equip a facility to produce a fault-interrupting device for overhead distribution system, Smart Grid applications, and switchgear for underground distribution system Smart Grid applications. These technologies will help installation of distributed renewable generation on electric distribution systems, close to the residential, commercial and industrial loads that consume the electric power.
  • 3553 Saint Gobain Solar Glass NA $8,100,000 Solar CSP Scottsdale AZ Scottsdale AZ Saint Gobain Solar Glass NA will manufacture mirrors used in concentrating solar power (CSP) technology that involves generating electricity by directing the light on to photovoltaic cells or other solar thermal generating technologies. The resulting product will help aid in domestic solar technologies manufacturing.
  • 4578 Schuff Steel Company $7,073,316 Wind Towers Bismark ND Phoenix AZ Schuff Steel will construct a wind turbine tower manufacturing facility with a planned capacity of 300 wind towers per year.
  • 1224 Serious Materials Inc $548,100 Buildings Chicago IL Sunnyvale CA Serious Materials Inc is manufacturing highly insulating, high performance fiberglass windows. The resulting product will be cost-efficient and will promote energy efficiency.
  • 3586 Sharp Electronics Corp $1,650,000 Solar CSI Memphis TN Memphis TN Sharp Electronics Corp will expand current solar manufacturing operations by installing a new crystalline photovoltaic module production line (E-Line) within its current solar facility. The resulting product will be a cost-efficient source of renewable solar energy.
  • 2423 Shaw Modular Solutions, L.L.C. $10,800,000 Nuclear Lake Charles LA Lake Charles LA Shaw Modular Solutions LLC will fabricate modules used in advanced, passively-safe, nuclear stations which avoid GHG emissions. The resulting product will aid the domestic nuclear energy industry.
  • 4581 Siemens Energy Inc. $3,450,900 Wind Blades Fort Madison IA Orlando FL Siemens Energy Inc. will build a new manufacturing plant for assembly of wind turbine nacelles and hubs for Siemens wind turbines. The resulting products will aid the domestic wind power industry.
  • 1054 Siemens Energy Inc. $4,331,700 Wind Towers Hutchinson TX Orlando FL Siemens Energy Inc. will expand a wind turbine blade manufacturing facility. The expanded facility will be capable of producing both 45 meter and 49 meter blades for the Siemens SWT-2.3mw wind turbine. The resulting product will aid the domestic wind power industry.
  • 4580 Siemens Industry, Inc. $28,328,379 Wind Turbines Elgin IL Elgin IL Siemens Industry, Inc will manufacture the mechanical drives, gears, pinions, and other components for gear boxes for wind turbines. The resulting product will aid the domestic wind power industry.
  • 3597 Solar Power Industries, Inc. $3,756,000 Solar CSI Belle Vernon PA Belle Vernon PA Solar Power Industries will produce multicrystalline cells up to 156mm by 156mm in size, which will then be integrated into solar modules. The resulting products will aid the domestic solar energy industry.
  • 3598 Solar Power Industries, Inc $1,611,083 Solar CSI Belle Vernon PA Belle Vernon PA Solar Power Industries, Inc will focus processes on high purity silicon ignot casting, slicing, and cell processing operations to produce silicon bricks, wafers, solar power systems, and solar module components. The resulting product will aid the domestic solar energy industry.
  • 3603 Solar Strategies, Inc. $1,572,236 Buildings Middleburg PA Philadelphia PA Solar Strategies will re-equip a modular home facility to produce net zero-energy homes. By combining energy conservation techniques, energy producing technologies, smart metering, Energy Star-rated appliances, and energy management systems, the company aims to produce thousands of solar modular homes that generate more power than they consume over the course of a year. The resulting homes will promote energy efficiency in the residential construction industry.
  • 3613 SolarWorld Industries America Inc. $82,200,000 Solar Components and Materials Hillsboro OR Hillsboro OR SolarWorld Industries America Inc. will expand the existing 100 MW solar PV manufacturing plant to 500 MW. The facility focuses on crystal growing, wafering, cell and module production. The resulting product will aid the domestic solar power industry.
  • 2238 Southwire $2,211,000 Smart Grid Carrollton GA Carrollton GA Southwire will re-equip a facility for new manufacturing lines to produce cables optimized specifically for wind and solar applications that will extend the grid to allow for collection of power within renewable energy systems. The resulting technologies will aid SmartGrid capacity and technology.
  • 3631 Spire Semiconductor, LLC $2,044,500 Solar PV Hudson NH Hudson NH Spire Semiconductor, LLC will manufacture a very high efficiency concentrator Photovoltaic (CPV) Cell and Receiver Assembly (CRA) to be incorporated into CPV systems. The resulting technology will aid the domestic solar energy industry.
  • 3633 Stion Corporation $37,500,000 Solar PV San Jose CA San Jose CA Stion Corporation will manufacture high efficiency (11-12%+) CIGS thin-film photovoltaic modules on glass. The resulting technology will aid the domestic solar energy industry.
  • 5559 Stirling Energy Systems, Inc $9,831,000 Solar CSP Livonia MI Livonia MI Stirling Energy Systems, Inc will produce Azimuth drives used to track the sun for the SunCatcher, a 25 kW solar dish. The resulting technologies will aid Solar Concentrating Solar Power industry domestically.
  • 3634 Stirling Energy Systems, Inc $642,000 Solar CSP Ashville NY Springville NY Stirling Energy Systems, Inc will produce pedestals, hubs, facet support structures, booms and mirror facets that combine to serve as the radial solar concentrator dish structure of the SunCatcher, a 25 kW solar dish. The resulting technologies will aid Solar Concentrating Solar Power industry domestically.
  • 3627 STR, Inc. $829,020 Solar PV Somers CT Somers CT STR, Inc. will manufacture encapsulants that are specialty extruded sheets and film that hold a solar module together and protect the embedded semiconductor circuit. The resulting technologies will aid the domestic solar PV panel manufacturing industry.
  • 3636 Sumco Phoenix $731,207 Solar Components and Materials Phoenix AZ Phoenix AZ Sumco Phoenix will slice, clean, and inspect and inspecting silicon wafers. These silicon wafers will then be sold for integration into solar power modules. The resulting technologies will aid the domestic solar power industry.
  • 3635 Sumco Phoenix $2,674,236 Solar Components and Materials Albuquerque NM Albuquerque NM Sumco Phoenix will be manufacturing and shaping silicon solar blocks. These silicon blocks will then be sent for further processing into solar wafers and sold to solar equipment manufacturers. The resulting technologies will aid the domestic solar technologies manufacturing industry.
  • 3638 SunEarth, Inc. $288,600 Solar Hot Water - This panel May move with timing Fontana CA Fontana CA SunEarth, Inc will manufacture liquid flat plate solar thermal collectors for medium temperature domestic water heating and industrial processes and will manufacture standard and custom rolled and ultrasonically welded absorber plates and fin-tubes. The resulting technologies will be used in energy efficient solar hot water heaters.
  • 3639 Suniva, Inc. $5,700,000 Solar CSI Norcross GA Norcross GA Suniva Inc will manufacture monocrystalline silicon-based solar cells. The resulting technologies will aid the domestic solar power industry.
  • 3644 Suntech $2,105,848 Solar CSI Tempe AZ Tempe AZ Suntech will manufacture a line of poly-crystaline solar modules as well as its new "Pluto" modules.
  • 1229 Texas Instruments Incorporated $51,450,000 Buildings Richardson TX Dallas TX Texas Instruments will re-equip a facility and purchase equipment to produce 300mm wafers for advanced power management semiconductors.
  • 3382 The Dow Chemical Company $2,220,000 Solar PV Findlay OH Findlay OH Dow's plant will produce special coatings for use in solar cell manufacture. The "films" are used to laminate cell components together to form a rigid structure, offering significant benefits to solar cell manufacturers.
  • 3381 The Dow Chemical Company $17,814,621 Solar PV Midland MI Midland MI Dow will produce photovoltaic cells built into residential and commercial roofing and siding products. Dow's technology imbeds solar cells into shingles, sidings, and other materials, enabling lower production and installation costs.
  • 4446 Think North America, Inc. $16,970,145 Vehicles Bristol IN Dearborn MI Think North America will establish a U.S. manufacturing operation/facility (a vehicle assembly operation as well as facilities for fabricating vehicle components) for the Think City light-weight EV-dedicated vehicle for sale throughout North America.
  • 4589 Tindall Corporation $16,750,500 Wind Towers Newton SC Spartanburg SC Tindall Corporation will build a facility to manufacture concrete tower bases and concrete towers for wind turbines, which will help provide more efficient wind energy production.
  • 4591 TPI Composites, Inc. $3,902,921 Wind Blades Newton IA Newton IA TPI is expanding its manufacturing facility in order to fill the anticipated greater demand for composite wind turbine blades from its customer General Electric and GE's wind farm customers.
  • 4592 TPI Composites, Inc. $5,135,241 Wind Blades Grand Island NE Grand Island NE TPI will operate a new manufacturing facility to produce the next generation wind turbine blades made by combining reinforcing fibers from glass or carbon, resin, foam, and balsa wood.
  • 1293 United Technologies Corporation $110,400,000 Industrial Middletown CT East Hartford CT United Technologes' Pratt & Whitney will re-equip existing manufacturing facilities for the production of a jet engine, the Pure Power® PW 1000G. The resulting engine will increase and promote greater fuel efficiency.
  • 1161 UTC Power Corp. $5,300,100 Fuel Cell South Windsor CT South Windsor CT UTC Power will open a new manufacturing facility to produce a clean, efficient and reliable fuel-cell powerplant offering more than twice the efficiency of traditional energy sources, while maintaining a low sound and emissions profile.
  • 4594 Vela Gear Systems, Inc. $11,604,440 Wind Turbines Indianapolis MI Indianapolis IN Vela Gear will build a plant to produce advanced wind turbine parts with improved technology. The facility will produce large precision gear sets designed specifically for the wind industry.
  • 4596 Vestas Blades America, Inc $21,589,200 Wind Blades Brighton CO Brighton CO Vestas Blades produces blades for wind turbines used in the production of wind energy. The utility-scales blades, which convert wind into mechanical motion, are approximately 44 meters in length.
  • 4597 Vestas Blades America, Inc $8,580,600 Wind Blades Brighton CO Brighton CO Vestas Blades will produce blades for wind turbines used in the production of wind energy. The utility-scales blades, which convert wind into mechanical motion, are approximately 44 meters in length.
  • 4598 Vestas Towers America, Inc. $21,600,000 Wind Towers Pueblo CO Pueblo CO Vestas Towers will produce tubular wind towers that support wind turbines at heights ranging from between 80 and 95 meters above ground.
  • 4452 W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. $604,350 Industrial Elkton MD Newark DE W.L. Gore will retool a manufacturing facility with next-generation equipment used to produce a key component of fuel cell systems that will be used to improve fuel efficiency in vehicles and other applications.
  • 2261 W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. $210,000 Fuel Cell Elkton MD Elkton MD W.L. Gore will re-equip two manufacturing facilities in New York and Maryland to produce the Gore Turbine Filter, a technology for gas turbines that delivers higher fuel efficiency and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
  • 3669 Wacker Polysilicon North America LLC $128,482,287 Solar Components and Materials Charleston TN Charleston TN Wacker Polysilicon's manufacturing plant will produce roughly 10 metric tons of pure polysilicon annually. One hundred percent of the output will be for the photovoltaic solar cell market.
  • 1237 Waukesha Electric Systems, Inc. $12,450,000 Smart Grid Waukesha WI Waukesha WI Waukesha will expand an existing plant to produce very large, high-voltage power transformers. The company anticipates that more than 80 percent of them will be used to help bring renewable energy to distant load centers or to replace aging, less efficient transformers.
  • 4600 Wausaukee Composites, Inc. $930,810 Wind Turbines Wausaukee WI Wausaukee WI Wausaukee Electric Systems will manufacture fiberglass wind turbine components.
  • 4612 Winergy Drive Systems Corp. $12,786,000 Wind Turbines Elgin IL Elgin IL Winergy will build a new facility to manufacture power transmission equipment and gearboxes for wind turbines. The facility will enable Winergy to produce 100 percent of its gear units domestically.
  • 3675 Xunlight Corporation $34,500,000 Solar PV Toledo OH Toledo OH Xunlight's first product is a flexible and lightweight photovoltaic solar energy module, which uses thin film silicon-based solar cells and can be rolled for shipping. This product was designed for easy application on rooftops.
  • 3676 Yingli Green Energy Americas $4,534,320 Solar CSI Phoenix AZ Phoenix AZ Yingli plans to open a manufacturing facility to produce its solar energy modules in order to better serve its US customer base.
  • 4456 ZF Steering Systems, LLC $28,560,000 Vehicles Florence KY Florence KY ZF Steering plans to re-equip its manufacturing facility in order to increase its production of welded and fabricated component kits used in 2MW and 3MW wind turbines.

Additional Projects

  • 1163 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. $3,450,000
  • 1180 ZBB Energy, Inc. $14,865,000
  • 1187 ClimaCool Corp. $692,100
  • 2242 Dresser-Rand Co $462,924
  • 2243 Andritz Hydro Corp. & Affiliates $1,270,320
  • 2247 Andritz Hydro & Affiliates $970,470
  • 2452 Voith Hydro $3,083,263
  • 3348 AE Polysilicon $44,850,000
  • 3359 BP Solar International Inc. $11,670,754
  • 3385 Cardinal ST $7,762,793
  • 3393 E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. $11,085,000
  • 3455 United Solar Ovonic, LLC $13,275,000
  • 3461 Jabil Circuit Inc. $20,400,000
  • 3483 Konarka $4,000,500
  • 3577 MetoKote Corporation $2,157,293
  • 3592 SCHOTT Solar, Inc. $33,000,000
  • 3640 Solaicx $18,240,000
  • 3641 SunPower Corporation $2,700,000
  • 3642 SunPower Corporation $2,700,000
  • 3643 SunPower Corporation $2,700,000
  • 4451 SunPower Corporation $2,700,000
  • 4493 Volkswagen Group of America Chattanooga Operations LLC $150,000,000
  • 4502 Energetx Composites, Inc $1,975,200
  • 4503 Fuhrlaender USA - West LLC $2,719,500
  • 4504 Fuhrlaender USA - Blade LLC $6,813,000
  • 4506 GAMESA FIBRAMATIC LLC $25,824,044
  • 4507 GAMESA G10X NACELLES, LLC $2,764,584
  • 4519 GAMESA G90, LLC $2,357,954
  • 4527 Ventower Industries $2,553,300
  • 4536 The Horsburgh & Scott Co. $2,856,000
  • 4552 JF Machines $2,136,933
  • 4573 Moventas, Inc. $4,108,800
  • 4587 Rotek Incorporated $19,724,719
  • 4601 The Timken Company $1,329,935
  • 4604 Webber Metal Products, Inc. $383,327
  • 6561 Wind Energy Castings III, Inc. $6,960,900
  • 6580 American Honda - Test Cell $2,151,630
  • 7827 REC Silicon $1,500,000
  • 1222 LoneStar $112,500
  • 1233 SAGE Electrochromics, Inc. $31,500,000
  • 1234 Viracon, Inc $1,800,000
  • 3677 Viracon, Inc $9,900,000
  • 4481 ABB Inc. $12,301,200
  • 4483 Cleveland Gear Company, Inc. $810,000
  • 4490 Columbia Gear Corporation $1,860,000
  • DMI Equipment LLC $3,339,000

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