HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Governor Edward G. Rendell today announced $20.7 million of investments in 25 projects to generate and conserve enough energy to power more than 26,000 homes, reducing carbon emissions equivalent to removing more than 17,000 cars from our roadways.

The projects will produce or save 2.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity over their lifetimes, or 110 million kilowatt hours per year. These projects will create 430 permanent green jobs, 1,068 construction jobs and help to retain 4,110 manufacturing jobs by stabilizing energy costs with on-site renewable energy systems.

Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) awarded $20.7 million in grants, including $10 million from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The public funding leverages another $120 million in private matching funds for a total investment of $140.7 million.

"Past investments have positioned Pennsylvania as a leader in the clean energy industry. The awarding of these grants will help continue that trend," Governor Rendell said. "When I first revived PEDA in 2005, the goal was to provide the funding and the incentives necessary to move these types of projects forward. Now five years later, the projects we are funding will make significant impacts in the renewable energy market and the daily lives of Pennsylvanians. For example, the three biomass manufacturing projects approved today are expected to supply enough solid fuel to heat approximately 16,500 Pennsylvania homes annually."

In addition, the projects include 9.3 megawatts of solar projects, geothermal, wind, carbon capture for coal, biodigesters for farms, combined heat and power and efficient lighting systems.

The 12 projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will:

    --  Generate or save more than 1.1 billion kilowatt hours over their
        lifetimes or 52 million kilowatt hours each year for the next 25 years,
        enough to power more than 5,000 homes;
    --  Create 185 permanent jobs;
    --  Create 381 temporary/construction jobs;
    --  Retain 3,776 jobs; and
    --  Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 100 million pounds, an amount
        generated by 8,561 passenger cars.

In addition, state funding from the Growing Greener II initiative will support 12 projects that will:

    --  Generate or save more than 1.1 billion kilowatt hours over their
        lifetime or 53 million kilowatt hours per year, enough to power more
        than 5,100 homes;
    --  Create 245 permanent jobs;
    --  Create 612 temporary/construction jobs;
    --  Retain 334 jobs, and
    --  Reduce carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 100 million pounds, an amount
        generated by 8,720 passenger cars.

An additional $800,000 is being used to fund a project in Duquesne Light Company's electric service territory and immediately adjacent areas. This project will receive funds allocated to the Department of Environmental Protection through the settlement of a Duquesne Light electric rate case. These funds will help ratepayers located within the Duquesne Light territory cope with high energy costs and ensure they have a secure energy supply that is needed for critical operations.

"We received a record 389 PEDA applications this year, seeking more than $400 million," said Governor Rendell. "There is greater competition for a limited amount of funding for projects that will generate new, clean renewable sources of energy. Businesses and organizations know that by undertaking these types of projects, they are making sound investments in their own futures and the future of Pennsylvania."

Since its revival in 2005, PEDA has supplied $68.5 million in funding to 143 projects, which has generated more than $1 billion in matching funds. PEDA is just one example of funding available for energy related projects. Governor Rendell also pointed to programs like PA Sunshine Solar, Small Business Energy Efficiency, PA Conservation Works, PA Green Energy Works, Act 1 Solar Energy, Act 1 Renewable Energy Act, Act 1 High Performance Buildings, and Act 1 Alternative and Clean Energy, as possible funding sources.

"In the past, we became too dependent upon foreign oil," said Governor Rendell. "We have changed the way we think about meeting our energy needs. But we need to keep moving forward. Our actions are making a difference. We are breaking our dependency upon foreign energy sources one gallon of oil, and one kilowatt, at a time.

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

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

EDITORS NOTE: The following is a list, by county, of the 25 alternative and renewable energy projects approved today by Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority:

Projects funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:

Centre County

Penns Valley Area School District -- $788,956 for the installation and operation of a district biomass heating system at the Penns Valley Elementary and High School. The project will use a Pennsylvania-manufactured boiler to provide low-cost, renewable-fuel heat for the school to reduce emissions, decrease operating costs, and provide a market for local Pennsylvania suppliers of biomass fuel. The system will save 7,960,000 kWh of electricity and 1,680,000 gallons of fuel oil over its lifetime. The project is expected to create 10 temporary, full-time jobs and 10 temporary part-time jobs. Matching funds -- $788,956.

Chester County

Aqua PA Inc.'s Ingram's Mill Solar Farm -- $1 million to install a minimum of 1.040 megawatts of net metered photovoltaic solar modules on 4.5 acres of open field. It will generate 32,053,500 kWh of solar photovoltaic electricity over this project's lifetime. This project will create 20 permanent, full-time jobs and 120 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $4,895,600.

Southeastern Chester County Refuse Authority (SECCRA) -- $1,093,427 to install a third 1.6 megawatt internal combustion engine/generator set which will produce electricity by burning landfill gas and then transmit the "green electricity" through the PJM Interconnection grid. This project will generate 262,000,000 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. The SECCRA landfill is solely owned and operated by a municipal authority serving the waste and recycling needs of 24 municipalities with a population of 90,000 residents. It will create one permanent, full-time position and 75 temporary full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $400,000.

Cumberland County

The Carlisle Area School District -- $1 million to install a 1 MW photovoltaic array system. This represents about 15 percent of the annual power used by the school district. This will save the school district approximately $105,000 per year. This project is expected to generate more than 25,500,000 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. This project will create 20 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $4,782,385.

Lackawanna County

Marywood University -- $205,000 to construct a geothermal system using mine water located beneath its campus. The system will be connected to the newly-renovated $4 million "green" facility that will house the university's new School of Architecture, the first in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It will offset 4,700,000 kWh of energy during its lifetime. It will create 10 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $324,600.

Lancaster County

Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority -- $1.5 million to develop a 3MW wind turbine to supply green power to the Turkey Hill Diary. The facility will produce electricity amounting to 180,450,000 kWh over its lifetime. There will be two 1,500 kW GE wind turbines deployed. Two new permanent, full-time positions will be filled and 35 new temporary, full-time and 10 new temporary, part-time jobs will be created. Matching funds -- $6.75 million.

Montgomery County

Buckman's Inc. -- $520,000 to execute a three-phase plan to cut costs, reduce energy usage and environmental impact, and ensure the long-term success of the organization. This grant will fund the first phase, which will consist of a 620 kW solar energy system and targeted energy efficiency. The second phase will include the installation of a solar hot water system, with the final phase adding a wind energy system. The solar energy system is expected to generate 17,384,125 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. This project is expected to create 14 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $3,867,340.

Northampton County

Crayola, LLC -- $1.5 million to develop a 1.9 MW solar powered facility at its headquarters and manufacturing site, in partnership with UGI Development Company and PPL Renewable Energy. The project represents 10 percent of the power consumed by the entire plant and one-third of the energy consumed for crayon manufacturing. The project will consist of 26,200 photovoltaic panels and produce more than 61,988,500 kWh of electricity over its lifetime helping to offset electricity costs and preserve 1,187 jobs at its manufacturing and research facilities. A solar power exhibit will be constructed educating over 350,000 visitors per year. The project is scheduled to begin producing power in December 2009. Matching funds -- $10,520,000.

Chrin Brothers Inc. -- $1 million to develop a landfill-gas-energy project that will provide 3.2 MW or a lifetime total of 500,000,000 kWh of electricity to four new manufacturing companies located in the Green Energy Park. This park will supply green energy to new clients which are expected to attract 160 jobs into the Lehigh Valley. An education center will also be established to host up to 2,000 visitors a year. The park is scheduled to begin producing green power and thermal energy from the landfill gas by Dec. 31, 2010. Matching funds -- $7,832,000.

Philadelphia County

The Wagner Free Institute of Science -- $250,000 to replace its single steam boiler with four high-efficiency, high-performance boilers. The project will conserve 3,615,320 kWh of conventional energy during its lifetime. Annual operational cost savings will range from $17,000 to $22,000. The project will retain 10 permanent, full-time jobs, create one permanent, part-time job and creates 23 additional temporary positions. Matching funds -- $348,218.

Schuylkill County

Food Markets Inc. (Wegmans) -- $1,009,176 to construct a new 350,000-square-foot multi-temperature warehouse in its Pottsville retail service center. The project will install an alternative fuel distribution technology for fueling 150 new energy efficient hydrogen fuel cell powered material handling equipment vehicles, provided by Lift Inc. of Lancaster. This project will offset 4,064,445 kWh of energy over its lifetime. It will retain eight full-time positions and create 23 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $6,213,691.

Multiple Counties

Lehigh Valley Hospital -- $502,000 to install 248 kW of photovoltaic panels at its Allentown and Bethlehem facilities. This project is expected to generate more than 6,809,575 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. Matching funds -- $850,000.

Projects funded by Growing Greener II:

Allegheny County

Plextronics Inc. -- $947,000 to further expand its D-Line by adding solar cell fabrication process development and testing tools. The tools purchased would lead to cost reductions and/or efficiency improvements in the solar modules that will eventually be produced by upcoming large-scale manufacturing lines. The end goal is to establish a manufacturing base in Pennsylvania that can lead to hundreds of new jobs. The project is expected to create 50 permanent, full-time jobs and 200 temporary, full-time jobs. When completed, this project will be capable of producing 10 MW of printed solar modules annually. Matching funds -- $1,243,831.

PFBC Environmental Energy Technology Inc. -- $1 million to demonstrate a carbon dioxide separation technology which turns impounded waste coal into a usable energy resource. When fully deployed, this project is expected to generate 2,978,400,000 kWh per year of electricity and save 651,437 tons of coal per year. At full implementation, it is expected to create 150 permanent, full-time jobs, 50 permanent, part-time jobs, 1,000 temporary, full-time jobs, and 90 temporary, part-time jobs. Matching funds -- $2,685,322.

Blair County

Card I Limited Partnership -- $1,150,000 to construct a biogas energy production facility in Martinsburg. The facility will generate 823,440,000 kWh of electricity during its lifetime. It will also generate solid fuel at a rate of 12,950 tons per year. The new facility will create 33 full-time jobs and 200 temporary, full-time jobs for construction services. Matching funds -- $38,795,000.

Crawford County

Ernst Biomass, LLC -- $896,400 to construct a biomass processing and densification facility. The products will be used for combustion fuels in a large range of applications from industrial furnaces to small pellet stoves. The facility will manufacture a renewable fuel supply for the solid fuels market and provide biomass fuels to meet varied specifications for energy companies' testing programs. It is expected to generate 24,000 tons of solid fuel per year. The project will create 10 permanent, full-time jobs, 80 permanent, part-time jobs, and 12 temporary, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $1,336,929.

Cumberland County

Knouse Foods Cooperative Inc. -- $1,500,000 to construct and operate a 3.155 MW solar photovoltaic generating facility to provide energy for its Peach Glen processing plant. The facility is a sustainable means to reduce reliance on electricity from the grid during fresh cherry and peach season and is expected to generate 103,346,750 kWh of solar electricity over its lifetime. It is expected to create 80 temporary, full-time jobs and retain 50 permanent, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $17,903,250.

Elk County

OSRAM Sylvania Inc. -- $116,865 to launch its new candle-shaped Light Emitting Diode Lamp. The funding will be used to procure mold tooling, construct an air tight assembly room and necessary electrostatic workstations to assemble this product in Pennsylvania. The LED lamps are expected to save 358,060,979 kWh per year of electricity and 3,465.40 MMBTU per year of natural gas. It is expected to create 60 permanent, full-time jobs and retain seven permanent, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $496,970.

Lycoming County

East Lycoming School District -- $800,000 to convert the Hughesville Junior/Senior High School and Lycoming Career & Technology Center primary heating source from oil/natural gas to biomass. With this conversion, the district is evaluating the potential to grow on-site hybrid willow, black locust, or American chestnut trees which will serve as a primary fuel source for the biomass boiler. The district has approximately 60 acres of available farmland for the on-site growth of these crops. This project will conserve 44,200,960 kWh of conventional energy over its lifetime. Matching funds -- $915,476.

David R. Webb -- $866,500 to install a single-stage steam turbine generator set to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and generate reliable onsite power. The system will convert a maximum steam flow of 29,900 lbs per hour of 140 pounds per square inch steam to 630 kW of power. This project is expected to generate 76,008,100 kWh for energy over its lifetime. It will retain 270 permanent, full-time jobs. Matching Funds -- $500,000.

Philadelphia County

Conergy Projects, Inc -- $900,000 to develop a 1.5 MW solar photovoltaic generation facility, the largest in an urban setting in the U.S. The Exelon-Conergy Solar Center II will be located on a 6.5-acre parcel of land in Philadelphia owned by the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development. The facility will generate an estimated 42,435,075 kWh of electricity over its lifetime. The project is expected to create one permanent, full-time job, 40 temporary, full-time jobs, and 40 temporary, part-time jobs. Matching funds -- $7,027,343.

Snyder County

Barefoot Pellet Company -- $469,200 to improve its raw material in-feed systems and install additional manufacturing equipment. This expansion will allow the Selinsgrove facility to return to two full shifts of production, accept additional feed stock and diversify its local offering to include wood pellets as well as Envi-Blocks. The system is expected to generate 36,000 tons of densified wood and save 4,114,000 gallon of oil annually. It will create five permanent, full-time jobs. Matching funds -- $411,700.

Somerset County

Pennwood Farms Dairy -- $475,274 to install an anaerobic digester system at its Somerset County dairy farm. The project will generate 13,135,360 kWh of energy over its lifetime. One permanent, full-time job and 20 temporary, full-time jobs will be created. Matching funds -- $475,274.

Union County

Biomass Fuel Stocks of PA Inc. -- $150,000 to establish a central Pennsylvania facility which will densify readily available, cellulose-based fuel stock. The company will convert untreated, unpainted waste wood, energy crops such as switch grass, agricultural waste such as corn cobs and stover, plus other biomass into convenient-to-use, densified briquettes. The project will result in the savings of 6,000 tons of biomass briquettes per year. The project is expected to create four permanent, full-time jobs and 1 permanent, part-time job. The project will re-use a former auto scrap yard. Matching funds -- $152,000.

The following alternative and renewable energy project approved today by PEDA and funded through Duquesne Light:

Allegheny County

The Allegheny County Airport Authority -- $800,000 to replace 1,471 existing High Intensity Discharge lighting with high efficiency Liquid Emitting Diode (LED). These fixtures are located in the long-term and extended parking lots and the three-level parking garage of Pittsburgh International Airport. The LED lighting system will consume an estimated 83 percent less energy. This project will generate $158,754 in annual energy savings, with 2,118,438 kWh saved over the project's lifetime. The project will create and preserve 75 well-paying green jobs for Appalachian Lighting Systems. Matching funds -- $800,000.

CONTACT: Barry Ciccocioppo 717-783-1116 John Repetz (DEP) 717-787-1323

SOURCE Pennsylvania Office of the Governor