On March 26, the Commonwealth Financing Authority approved grants for 11 projects for a total of over $12 million under the Alternative and Clean Energy Programs.  The projects include--

-- Allegheny: Peoples Natural Gas was approved for a $1,794,059 grant for the purchase of a 2 MW combined heat and power (CHP) system to be installed at the new Allegheny Health Network hospital in Pine Township. Peoples Natural Gas will operate and maintain the CHP system and the entire energy plant at the hospital. The project is expected to offset 16,444,000 kWhs of electricity and 18,300 MMBtus in thermal output annually. The total project cost is $5,980,198.

-- Chester: Avon Grove School District was approved for a $1,368,000 grant for the construction of a new, high-performance high school building off of Sunnyside Road in Penn Township. The new, 305,000-square-foot building will include an efficient thermal building envelope, LED lighting systems with daylight sensors, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and a 450kw photovoltaic solar array. The project will reduce electric usage by 1,125,117 kWh, reduce natural gas usage by 1,028 MMBtu, and reduce water consumption by 571,450 gallons per year. The total project cost is $106,459,925

-- Columbia: Autoneum North America, Inc. was approved for a $1 million grant and a $522,968 loan for the purchase and installation of a 2,000 kW combined heat and power (CHP) system at its manufacturing facility located in Bloomsburg. The CHP system will produce 14,212,800 kWh annually, or 41 percent of the electrical usage at the facility. It will also produce 51,841 MMBtu of steam through a heat recovery steam generator, accounting for approximately 67 percent of the plant’s annual steam requirement. The total project cost is $5,076,560.

-- Crawford: CNG Services, LLC was approved for a $538,500 loan for the purchase and installation of a biogas purification system at Bortnick Dairy Farm in Beaver Township. The system will turn waste biogas into quality, pipeline-quality natural gas to be used as transportation fuel at CNG Services’ fueling stations. The project is expected to produce approximately 2,500 gasoline gallon equivalents of compressed natural gas annually. The total project cost is $1,837,000.

-- Lancaster: Manheim Central School District was approved for a $1,368,000 grant to support the renovation of its high school into a high-performance building. The project includes high-efficiency ventilation, increased thickness of roofing and wall insulation, and energy-efficient windows, water, and lighting fixtures. The project also includes the installation of a 213 kW roof-mounted solar system as part of the renovation. The project is expected to reduce energy consumption by 1,290,000 kWh annually, as well as reducing water consumption by 334,746 gallons annually. The total project cost is $35,360,707.

-- Montgomery: The School District of Upper Dublin was approved for a $1,368,000 grant to support the construction of a new high-performance building to serve as one of its middle schools. The school district is demolishing its current Sandy Run Middle School and will replace it with a new building that will include an efficient thermal building envelope, efficient LED lighting systems and daylight sensors, energy-efficient HVAC systems, water conservation features, and a 215 kW solar system. The project is expected to reduce energy consumption by 582,000 kWh annually, and reduce water consumption by 30 percent. The total project cost is $67,826,100.

-- Northampton:

   -- Bangor Area School District was approved for a $1,176,950 grant for the renovation of the Five Points Elementary School into a high-performance building. The project includes restroom upgrades, finish upgrades in the building addition constructed in 1992, and the removal of partition walls to create individual classrooms and better circulation throughout the school. Other upgrades include an efficient thermal building envelope, energy-efficient HVAC systems and LED lights with daylight sensors, more efficient plumbing systems, and on-site solar production. The project will reduce electric usage by 404,431 kWh annually. The total project cost is $12.8 million.

   -- Easton Area School District was approved for a $1,368,000 grant for the construction of a new elementary school that will be a high-performance building. The new 100,000-square-foot school will include an energy-efficient thermal building envelope, efficient LED lighting systems with daylight sensors, low-flow plumbing fixtures, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and an onsite 200 kW photovoltaic solar array. The project will reduce grid consumption by 400,331 kWh, as well as reducing natural gas usage by 571 MMBtu and water usage by 209,700 gallons per year. The total project cost is $33,136,950.

   -- New England Hydropower Company, LLC was approved for a $1,418,366 grant for the construction of a 520 kW, zero-emissions hydro facility adjacent to Lock 47 in Hugh Moore Park in Easton. The new facility will be fish-friendly, allowing the downward passage of fish to complement the upward fish passage provided at the Chain Dam. The system will generate 3,579,000 kWh of green electricity annually. The total project cost is $5,857,493

-- Northumberland: Carbon Atlantic International LLC was approved for a $32,319 loan to purchase and install a biomass processing system at its facility in Chillisquaque Township. Located on a former shale quarry, the new system will produce biochar from wood shipping pallets recycled from a local landfill. Additionally, the system will produce animal bedding for poultry and dairy farm animals from clean, debarked wood chips delivered by area sawmills. The system is expected to offset 1,000 MMBtus annually in its thermal output. The total project cost is $205,386.

-- Philadelphia: AAA Club Alliance, Inc. was approved for a $74,993 grant for the purchase and installation of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station at its Brewster Avenue fleet management facility. The station will have a daily capacity of 450 gasoline gallon equivalents (GGE), and will enable AAA to expand their CNG fleet over the next 14 years. The total project cost is $299,975.

Click Here for a list of projects funded.

For more information on funding opportunities, visit the  Alternative and Clean Energy Program. webpage or the Commonwealth Financing Authority webpage.

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[Posted: March 26, 2019]

4/1/2019