Sustainable Energy Fund and West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund, nonprofits that support and finance energy users seeking a sustainable energy future, Thursday announced the winners of the 2016 Energy Sprout competition.

The competition was open to Pennsylvania businesses, residents and community organizations to submit new technologies and business practices that lead to a sustainable energy future.

The competition was broken into two categories with more than $160,000 in grants up for grabs.

-- Community Competition – Final Results

-- $25,000 grant: Energy Coordinating Agency – Philadelphia: Energy Coordinating Agency proposed a community-based sustainable energy project to demonstrate the effectiveness of new technologies and process improvements to create linkages with the public health system.

-- $5,000 grant: Serenity Soular – Philadelphia: Serenity Soular’s program is rooted in energy efficiency and solar panel education, training and job creation. They aim to integrate the objectives of expanding and deepening both the definition and practices of sustainability.

-- $3,000 grant: Saint Francis University Institute for Energy – Loretto, Cambria County: Saint Francis University Institute for Energy seeks to build upon their successful wind siting tool and develop a one stop shop database for assessing the feasibility of implementing a small, renewable system, and expedite the entire analysis process.

-- Business Competition – Final Results

-- $100,000 grant: CEWA Technologies, Inc – Wyomissing, Berks County: The concept for CEWA Technologies Inc. was born when a group of technical personnel were considering ways to bring clean energy and water to remote parts of the world. Inexpensive, plentiful energy is the foundation of all modern economies. Concentrating solar power - inexhaustible, sustainable, accessible - is part of the solution.

Imagine a solar concentrator dish capable of delivering 33.5 kW of thermal power, 14 kW of electricity or a combination of the two at a price competitive with fossil fuels. CEWA plans to use the winning grant to reduce manufacturing cost and time per unit.

-- $25,000 grant: EthosGen – Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County: EthosGen is developing a new energy system that could produce more electrical power from this immense resource of wasted heat. Their new prototype could create substantial new global opportunities to harvest thermal energy from renewable and waste heat resources, providing affordable, stable and reliable power for on and off-grid needs.

-- $3,000 grant: Renewable Homes, LLC – Philadelphia: Renewable Homes seeks to promote an “Abundant Conversation” lifestyle through the development of residential rental properties that generate Net Zero energy through solar, Passive House design and batteries for home storage.

For more information on programs, initiatives, upcoming events and funding opportunities, visit the Sustainable Energy Fund and West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund websites.

NewsClips:

Delaware Valley Planning Commission: $21M In Clean Air Transportation Projects

S’mores In A Solar-Powered Oven? You Bet

8/8/2016