Columbus, OH – Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Ohio Air Quality Development Authority (OAQDA) Executive Director Mark Shanahan today announced seven new awards from the $150 million advanced energy portion of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan.
Six of the awards were made to non-coal-related projects proposed by Ohio Cooperative Solar of Cleveland; Schmack BioEnergy of Independence; Technology Management, Inc. of Cleveland; Wayne Trail Technologies, Inc. of Fort Loramie; Westerman Nuclear LLC of Bremen; and Xunlight Corporation of Toledo. A seventh award was made to InSeT Systems, LLC of Akron for a coal-related project in Belmont County.
“The cutting-edge technologies that these seven companies will employ demonstrate Ohio’s leadership across the advanced energy spectrum,” said Strickland. “The state’s investment in advanced energy technologies is stimulating our economy and creating Ohio jobs today.”
Funding for the seven projects was authorized today by the OAQDA, the state agency responsible for administering the Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program. Projects are subject to final review by the State Controlling Board.
“These seven outstanding projects demonstrate that the advanced energy program is fulfilling its mission to support state-of-the-art projects on a fast track toward commercialization,” said Shanahan, who also serves as Strickland’s energy advisor. “Each project has leveraged additional support from other private and public sector organizations, which underscores their high likelihood of success.”
On November 30, Strickland announced that 25 wind and solar projects in Ohio have been approved by the federal government to receive more than $13 million in grant awards funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s State Energy Program.
“Expanding the advanced energy sector of Ohio’s economy requires the strategic investment of limited resources,” Strickland said. “We are coordinating state and federal dollars to bring additional investment, jobs and growth to Ohio.”
The six approved non-coal projects from Ohio’s Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program, and project locations, are:
Ohio Cooperative Solar (Cleveland, Cuyahoga County)
Ohio Cooperative Solar was approved for a $1.53 million loan over six years to assist the company with the installation of photovoltaic (PV) solar panel modules on the roofs of commercial buildings for customers in the University Circle area of Cleveland. These solar systems will provide up to 4 megawatts of power for these customers and will have capability to be uninstalled and moved should a building undergo renovation. Ohio Cooperative Solar will remain the owner and operator of these PV systems. This worker-owned company will provide 20 new full-time jobs to economically disadvantaged neighborhoods through the project.
Schmack BioEnergy, LLC (Columbus, Franklin County)
Schmack BioEnergy (which recently changed its company name to quasar energy group), a full service waste-to-energy company, will receive a $3.06 million loan over seven years for the construction of an anaerobic digester system in Columbus. The facility is designed to accept multiple streams of organic waste and use its technologically advanced process to digest waste safely and capture biogas during the process. The project will create seven new full-time jobs with 14 current full-time jobs retained.
Technology Management, Inc. (Cleveland and Highland Heights, Cuyahoga County) and multiple demonstration locations TBD
Technology Management, Inc. (TMI), a developer of modular, solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems, will receive a loan of $2,537,500 over five years to assist in collaboration with Lockheed Martin and Stark State College of Technology. The project seeks to commercialize this disruptive technology of SOFC systems into military markets for replacement of kilowatt class diesel gensets. In turn, the product will be refined for use in residential and agricultural settings. The TMI project will create 42 new full-time and part time permanent jobs and enable the company to retain 14 jobs.
Wayne Trail Technologies, Inc. (Fort Loramie, Shelby County)
Wayne Trail will receive an $838,440 loan over five years to assist in the establishment of a unique manufacturing process used in lithium-ion battery packs – the type of batteries used to power hybrid electric vehicles. To meet the increased demand for these battery packs from the battery manufacturing industry, Wayne Trail will begin immediate and full commercialization of this new system. An estimated 37 new full-time jobs will be created by the project with another 120 full-time jobs retained.
Westerman Nuclear LLC (Bremen, Fairfield County)
Westerman Nuclear was approved for a five-year loan in the amount of $2.04 million for the construction of a new manufacturing facility to supply components to the nuclear industry in the U.S. and around the world. The plant will help Westerman maximize its experience in the commercialization of radioactive waste containers used for the containment, transport and storage of radioactive waste, pressure vessels, heat exchangers and weldments, as well as its experience in manufacturing uranium hexafluoride containers. An estimated 50 new full-time jobs will be created by the project, with another 183 full-time jobs retained.
Xunlight Corporation (Toledo, Lucas County)
Xunlight Corporation will receive a loan of $4.06 million over five years to significantly expand its capacity for manufacturing its amorphous silicon thin-film photovoltaic modules. The loan will enable Xunlight to expand its current two megawatt pilot production line to 25 megawatts. The company already has customers who have signed either supply agreements or letters of intent to purchase the modules. An estimated 181 full-time jobs will be created by the project, with another 75 jobs retained.
The approved coal-related project is:
InSeT Systems LLC (Beallsville, Belmont County)
InSeT Systems will receive a grant of $330,586 to assist in the expansion of the company’s patented Internal Sensor Tracking system, which provides the capability of real-time tracking of miners working in underground mines. This system has been successfully demonstrated to determine the location of a miner in an underground mine environment. The approved project will develop software that will enable real-time monitoring of multiple sensors placed with miners and equipment. An estimated 46-60 new full-time jobs will be created by the project with another 4 full-time jobs retained.
Ohio’s Advanced Energy Job Stimulus Program includes $84 million for non-coal related technology projects and $66 million for clean coal projects. The program is part of the Ohio Bipartisan Job Stimulus Plan signed into law by Governor Strickland in June 2008. More than 200 applications for program funding have been received to date.
In related business, OAQDA today approved two additional projects that will make use of the Schmack technology in their work. OAQDA authorized issuance of a bond of up to $3 million to assist Zanesville Energy in the financing of a biomass-to-energy facility in Zanesville. Additionally, OAQDA authorized issuance of another bond of up to $3 million to assist Buckeye Biogas in the financing of a biomass-to-energy facility at The Ohio State University Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster.
Finally, OAQDA approved a grant not to exceed $99,710 to support “Green Fleets 2010: Transforming Ohio’s Transportation Energy Sector.” This project builds on work done over several years by Clean Fuels. The organization recently competed for, and received, a Clean Cities grant of more than $11 million.
