Pointing to the findings of a national report issued today, Gov. Rendell said hydropower holds tremendous potential for generating clean energy and creating jobs for Pennsylvania and the nation.

“America has only just begun to understand the potential of hydropower,” said Gov. Rendell as he visited Voith Hydro, an innovative manufacturing facility that produces cost-effective hydroelectric generators and turbines used to make electricity in hydropower dams. “While newer forms of alternative renewable energy have attracted much attention lately, hydropower has been around for decades and continues to grow as a reliable source of green energy.”

According to the study released this week by the National Hydropower Association, the U.S. hydropower industry could install between 23,000 megawatts and 60,000 megawatts of additional capacity by 2025, or enough to generate electricity for 31 million additional homes. The study also estimates that the installation of this amount of capacity could create between 230,000 and 700,000 new jobs.

The United States has about 78,000 megawatts installed capacity of conventional hydropower, which provides enough electricity to power more than 27 million homes and serve about 75 million people.

In Pennsylvania, hydropower generated more than 1.5 million megawatt hours of electricity in Pennsylvania from June 2008 to July 2009, nearly enough to power more than 150,000 homes.

“This study gives us a glimpse of the economic opportunities inherent in alternative energy growth,” said Gov. Rendell. “This expansion could mean tens of thousands of new jobs for Pennsylvanians and more clean forms of energy that protect our environment.

The Governor said more than 5,000 Pennsylvanians are already at work in the hydropower industry in places like the Holtwood dam on the Susquehanna River. The facility generates enough power to provide electricity for 53,611 homes. With help from new hydro turbines manufactured at Voith Hydro, the facility is being repowered to supply an additional 100,000 homes.

“Voith is an outstanding example of how developments and investments in green energy technology can be good for our economy and our energy future,” said the Governor. “Even during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Voith has continued to invest and create new jobs. With more than 550 employees, a 27 percent increase over the past two years, Voith Hydro is still growing and keeping up with the demand for hydropower. The company hired 194 people in the last 24 months and is investing more than $15.3 million in building renovations, new equipment and upgrades to its existing equipment.”

The Governor added that the Commonwealth can play a role in helping the alternative energy industry grow by making strategic investments and creating a level playing field that encourages the use of job-creating, sustainable green energy.

Pennsylvania has invested $807,000 in Voith Hydro through grants and tax credits to assist the company’s expansion and the training of its growing workforce. The state has also enacted an Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004 – which will ensure at least 18.5 percent of all energy generated in the state comes from advanced sources by 2021; launched the $650 million Alternative Energy Investment Fund passed in 2008; and, most recently, established one of the most ambitious energy conservation laws in the nation.

The study released this week reinforces that point with estimates of future hydropower job creation nearly 3 times higher if renewable energy grows from 10 percent of national electricity supply to 25 percent.

“With forward-looking public policy and investment strategies, Pennsylvania will continue to play a leading role in developing homegrown answers to our current energy challenges through breakthroughs in renewable resources like hydropower,” the Governor said.