$2.3bn in Recovery Act Tax Credits for Clean, Green Jobs

Post date: Jan 10, 2010 11:24:53 AM

The Obama administration, has kicked loose $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits

for clean energy jobs, and that's expected to attract additional private capital for a total investment of almost

$7.7 billion in high-tech manufacturing

$7.7bn for High-Tech manufacturing

Clean energy sector U.S.

Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future," President Obama said.

"The Recovery Act awards I am announcing today will help close the clean energy gap that has grown between

America and other nations while creating good jobs, reducing our carbon emissions and increasing our energy security."

Smart Grid, Green Building, Energy efficiency, Solar and Wind 2014 in Service

The projects, selected through a competitive merit review process, target a wide range of clean energy technologies.

Some of the projects and the companies that will do the work include:

· Smart Grid: Itron Inc.'s OpenWay CENTRON meter is one of the first smart meters for residential use that offers

built in two-way communications and a remote on/off switch to give consumers more control over their electricity consumption and enable utilities to provide cheaper, more reliable service. The company will expand its manufacturing capacity to build four million meters per year, which Itron says will cut electricity use by about 1.7 million MWh annually.

· Building Efficiency and Energy Management: W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., is producing an advanced membrane for high efficiency fuel cells for buildings and vehicles to lower their cost. Gore also is building an advanced turbine filter to improve performance and lower cost and greenhouse gas emissions of gas turbines.

· Solar Energy: PPG Industries, Inc. will use the tax credits to expand its output of transparent conductive oxide coatings required for the glass used in solar cells, and will produce a double anti-reflective glass coating to make the cells more efficient. PPG also will make a special tire tread component that reduces rolling resistance to improve fuel economy.

· Wind Energy: TPI Composites Inc. is building a new manufacturing plant to make next-generation wind turbine blades. TPI also will expand its production at an existing plant to meet the expected jump in demand for lighter, stronger and more fuel-efficient composite wind turbine blades.

The projects receiving the tax credits are required to be in service by 2014, but about 30% of them are scheduled to be completed in 2010.