Business
$2.1 Million for Clean Energy Business Development and New Job Creation in Maryland
By HE&IT
Oct 15, 2010, 23:19

Governor Martin O’Malley has announced the award of $2.1 million in Clean Energy Economic Development Initiative (CEEDI) grants, the latest in a series of grants intended to help create jobs by developing a vibrant clean energy sector.

Using federal Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is awarding four performance-based grants that will further clean energy in Maryland while creating 70 full-time jobs and 105 construction jobs by 2012.

These four grants—together with past awards—complete the $5.35 million CEEDI program, which will result in 130 permanent green jobs and 230 temporary development and construction-related jobs during the next 18 months.

“The O’Malley-Brown Administration is committed to promoting Smart, Green and Growing opportunities across Maryland and creating a supportive environment for cutting-edge, innovative projects in clean energy,” said Governor O’Malley. “Maryland developed the unique CEEDI program with the goal of fostering clean energy jobs by investing in clean energy. By working to attract and grow businesses committed to a “greener” Maryland we are moving closer to meeting our long-term goal of generating 20% of Maryland’s energy from clean, renewable sources by 2022.”

The latest CEEDI grantees are:

Maryland Brush Company of Baltimore City will use $770,000 to retool an existing production line at its Baltimore facility to manufacture innovative solar thermal-power-and lighting modules. Maryland Brush Company was first established in 1851 and is today entirely employee-owned. Maryland Brush Company estimates that this project will result in 10 jobs in Baltimore during the first year.

Maryland Energy Recovery of Frostburg will use $612,016 to support the first phase of its 20-megawatt (MW) biomass/coal-mix facility. Later phases of this biomass project could result in as much as 100MW of capacity. Maryland Energy Recovery estimates that this project will result in 18 jobs in Garrett County in 2010.

BITHENERGY of Baltimore City will receive $500,000 to support development of a 3.75MW solar panel installation on a current brownfields site. The Baltimore Solar Power Generation Station is expected to generate 4,368 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity each year, thereby avoiding 3,983 tons of carbon. BITHENERGY estimates that this renewable-energy installation will result in five jobs by 2011.

Maryland Environmental Service of Millersville will use $250,000 for “Phase II” project management costs for an innovative anaerobic digester installation at the Eastern Correctional Institution in Westover. ECI will utilize approximately 1MW of renewable energy generated from poultry litter, which is widely available and in need of careful environmental management. MES estimates that this project will directly result in seven jobs in Somerset County once operational.

“The CEEDI program is a significant commitment to the creation of sustainable clean energy jobs across Maryland,” said MEA Director Malcolm Woolf. “CEEDI has been an innovative way to improve Maryland’s competitive position in the global clean-energy economy.”

For more information on the CEEDI program, visit: http://energy.maryland.gov/CleanEnergyEconomicDevelopmentInitiative.asp