Dec 23, 2009

Pennsylvania Processors Get Grants for Biogas Development

Pennsylvania Governor Edward Rendell announced Dec. 22 that the commonwealth would invest $5 million in federal recovery money in eight innovative alternative energy projects that use biological materials such as sewage, animal and food processing waste to generate enough energy to power more than 80,000 homes.

“By wisely investing our federal stimulus dollars in large-scale alternative energy projects, we are aggressively moving forward to meet our future long-term energy needs, while creating multiple short-term benefits,” Rendell said. “These projects will put Pennsylvanians to work now constructing long-term assets that will supply residents with a significant amount of electricity for years to come. These projects will stimulate the economy by creating jobs and attracting additional investment capital needed to bring the projects to completion.

“The projects will also develop methods for handling various waste streams in more efficient and environmentally friendly manners. Farmers, food processors and local governments will now be able to better deal with various forms of waste material, use that waste to generate electricity, and in some cases, even using the waste heat generated to make the overall process even more efficient.”

One of those companies receiving a grant is tomato processor Furmano Foods Inc. The company will receive $850,000 to expand the company’s wastewater treatment plant to use methane gas produced through the processing of organic waste to generate electricity and supply a portion of the facility’s electrical needs.

Federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds support the commonwealth’s Green Energy Works! Biogas initiative. The projects will leverage an additional $22 million in private investments.

The eight projects receiving grants will generate more than 470,000 megawatt hours of electricity over their lifetimes. That is enough energy to power more than 47,000 average homes in Pennsylvania for one year. The projects will also generate the equivalent of 3,183 million cubic feet of natural gas — enough to heat more than 37,000 average homes that use about 85,000 cubic feet of gas per year. The projects will also reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by 237,000 tons of carbon dioxide, or the equivalent of taking more than 41,000 passenger vehicles off the roads.

The Green Energy Works! Biogas grants are part of $52 million initiative which uses Recovery Act money to fund innovative projects designed to help increase energy efficiency, reduce reliance on foreign energy sources, improve service reliability, and reduce the impact of energy production on the environment. Green Energy Works! is also funding large-scale combined heat and power, solar and wind projects.

“These projects are examples of how by taking a non-traditional approach to meeting our energy needs, we can produce unique and multi-beneficial opportunities,” Rendell said. “Power generation, waste management, job creation and economic growth are all tied together — made possible by federal stimulus money and progressive-thinking Pennsylvanians who will help drive the commonwealth to a state of energy independence.”

More information about how federal stimulus funding is benefiting Pennsylvania is available at: www.recovery.pa.gov. For additional information on Green Energy Works! visit the Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Energy and Technology Deployment at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: “Energy” or call 717-783-8411.