Ohio Wind And Solar Projects Awarded $13 Million In Recovery Act Funds

Governor Ted Strickland today announced that 25 Ohio projects will receive more than $13 million in grant awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program.

“We are shaping Ohio’s future by strengthening our advanced energy economy today.  Supporting the growing wind and solar industries creates jobs, creates energy and reduces costs for hard-working Ohioans,” Strickland said.  “These Recovery Act-funded projects take the state another vital step toward our goal of making Ohio a world center for advanced energy.”

US Representatives Betty Sutton and Marcia Fudge, Ohio Department of Development Director Lisa Patt-McDaniel, the governor’s energy advisor Mark Shanahan, and other community leaders and elected officials joined the governor and Lincoln Electric Chairman and CEO John Stropki for today’s announcement in Cleveland.  Lincoln Electric will receive a $1 million grant for its wind turbine installation project.

These renewable energy awards are the first to be awarded from Ohio’s $96 million State Energy Program, which was accepted by the U.S. Department of Energy on June 26th.

”We are excited to have this opportunity under Ohio’s energy program to demonstrate the value of wind energy by investing in our own installation,” Stropki said. “This project is a continuation of other Lincoln EHS programs and green initiatives currently under way in our manufacturing operations to improve our costs and protect our environment. Not only will the wind project provide long-term benefits by reducing our energy costs, it will also showcase the unique benefits that Lincoln products and welding solutions provide to wind tower manufacturers to improve their quality and lower their costs.”

Public and private entities will use the funds to install wind electric, solar electric and solar thermal technologies at businesses, schools, parks and other public locations throughout Ohio.

“Ohio is an impact state for advanced energy job creation potential,” Patt-McDaniel said. “Our state’s manufacturing strengths, logistics capabilities, skilled workforce, and competitive business environment make Ohio a major competitor in the growth of our nation’s new energy economy.”

Proposals for Deploying Renewable Energy: Wind and Solar component of the program were accepted beginning August 25, 2009. Projects submitted were selected through a competitive review process based on several criteria: project readiness and ability to be completed within 12 months, a matching investment of at least 50 percent, and direct economic impacts to create and retain jobs in Ohio.

Governor Strickland acknowledged that these awards would not have been possible without the support of members of Ohio’s Congressional delegation and President Barack Obama for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The Wind and Solar Awards afford Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio an opportunity to create jobs in a burgeoning field. By investing in energy, we will promote an industry of endless possibilities, create sustainable jobs, and retrain workers to enter this expanding ‘green’ workforce,” said Representative Fudge (OH-11).

“Today’s announcement of $1 million for the solar energy project that will be installed in Akron Metro’s facility is great news,” Representative Sutton said.  “It is projected that these solar panels could save up to 33 percent in energy costs. The projects announced today will strengthen Ohio’s advanced and renewable energy sectors, facilitate job creation and retention, and reduce energy costs along with greenhouse gas emissions.”

Awarded projects meet the federal goals of the Recovery Act’s State Energy Program to accelerate renewable energy development in Ohio by creating or preserving jobs and reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Expanding the use of wind and solar energy across Ohio will create jobs in an expanding global market, positioning Ohio for growth for years to come,” Shanahan said. “Recovery Act resources are helping Ohio communities make their own renewable energy while accelerating market-driven job creation in our state.”

A list of award recipients follows below:

WIND PROJECTS

• Archbold Area Local Schools (Fulton County) – $750,000 to install a 500 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.

• Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners (Cuyahoga County) – $1 million to install a 600 kW wind turbine at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in conjunction with a career and new energy training center.

• Green City Growers Cooperative (Cuyahoga County) – $1 million to install a 1.5 MW wind turbine to power a 5.35 acre greenhouse and a 40,000 square-foot facility that will process fresh produce for Northeast Ohio.

• Huron-Wind LLC and City of Huron (Erie County) – $280,500 to install a 100 kW wind turbine.

• Kenston Local School District (Geauga County) – $630,500 to install a 600 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.

• Lincoln Electric Company (Cuyahoga County) – $1 million to install a 2.5 MW wind turbine at its manufacturing facility.

• Pettisville Local Schools (Fulton County) – $750,000 to install a 500 kW wind turbine and integrate the technology as a teaching tool in the classroom.

• Toledo Electric Joint Apprentice and Training Committee (Lucas County) – $420,000 to install a 100 kW wind turbine to serve as a training tool for 1,000 apprentices.

SOLAR ELECTRIC PROJECTS

• Affinity Building Systems, Inc (Montgomery County) – $292,684 to install a 105 kW solar photovoltaic system.

• City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy Convention Center (Hamilton County) – $252,937 to install a 93 kW photovoltaic array rooftop system at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

• City of Cincinnati Parks (Hamilton County) – $451,418 to install a total of 170 kW solar photovoltaic systems at 13 sites in the park system.

• Forest City Residential Management Inc., Midtown Towers (Cuyahoga County) – $1 million to install a 350 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system on three of The Midtown Towers’ residential building complexes.

• Greater Cincinnati Water Works (Hamilton County) – $775,655 to install a 280 kW photovoltaic solar array rooftop system.

• Hull & Associates Inc, Bedford Office (Cuyahoga County) – $266,254 to install a 93 kW solar photovoltaic system at its office building in Northeast Ohio.

• Hull & Associates Inc, PNA Solar Project (Wood County) – $680,782 to install a 250 kW solar array project on Pilkington North America, Inc’s (PNA) Plant 21 site.

• IGS Energy (Franklin County) – $261,089 to install a 93 kW solar photovoltaic system on their corporate office building.

• Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) – $217,479 to install a 76 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system at an office building built to LEED certification.

• METRO Regional Transit Authority (Summit County) – $1 million to install a 488 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system located on its central bus barn.

• Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH), Summit Facility (Hamilton County) -   $652,932 to install a 232.65 kW solar photovoltaic rooftop system.

• Solar Vision LLC, Athens City Community Center (Athens County) – $631,637 to install a 220 kW photovoltaic solar array system on four carport structures in the parking lot of the Athens City Community Center.

• Solar Vision LLC, Bexley Police (Franklin County) – $335,328 to install a 117 kW photovoltaic array system on four new carport structures in the parking lot.

• Toledo Museum of Art (Lucas County) – $282,264 to install a 100 kW solar rooftop system.

• Toledo Zoo (Lucas County) – $306,837 to install a 103 kW solar system.

SOLAR THERMAL PROJECTS

• Great Lakes Brewing Company (Cuyahoga County) – $190,082 to install two hot water heating systems.

• Parkway Local Schools (Mercer County) – $16,080 to install a solar thermal system.

For more information about the State Energy Program and project details, please visit: http://www.development.ohio.gov/recovery/StateEnergyProgram.htm.

Topics: advanced energy, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, clean energy, clean energy economy, economic development, economic growth, economic recovery, Economy, employment, energy, Governance, grants, jobs, Ohio, Ohio Department of Development, recovery act, renewable energy, solar energy, State Energy Program, U.S., U.S. Department of Energy, United States, wind energy, wind turbines

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