HERSHEY, PA — Pennsylvania awarded nearly $3.5 million to 15 small-business projects Monday to finance energy-efficiency, renewable-energy, electrification and carbon-capture upgrades expected to collectively save more than $470,000 in annual energy costs while cutting about 2,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in their first year.
The grants are the second round issued through the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania, or RISE PA, Small-scale Award Track. Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley unveiled the awards at Tröegs Independent Brewing in Dauphin County.
RISE PA is a $396 million statewide industrial decarbonization program funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. The Small-scale Award Track accounts for $40 million of that funding and is administered by the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program, or PennTAP, at Penn State.
The latest awards span projects ranging from HVAC and lighting replacements to solar installations, a renewable-energy microgrid and the conversion of diesel-powered industrial equipment to electricity.
The largest grant, $496,383, went to New Enterprise Stone & Lime in Berks County to replace two diesel generators with line power at a crushing plant. DEP estimates the project will save the company $45,383 annually in energy costs.
A Rifken Company in Luzerne County received $495,000 to replace an aging rooftop solar system with one three times larger. The new installation is expected to offset 30.4% of the facility’s annual electricity use and save an estimated $30,654 a year.
Standard Bent Glass in Butler County received $347,490 to replace two kilns with a system designed to allow parallel processing and shorter production cycles. DEP projects annual energy savings of $39,264.
Lancaster County’s Fox Meadows Creamery was awarded $281,755 for a rooftop solar installation expected to offset 99.6% of the facility’s annual electricity consumption and produce estimated annual savings of $35,238.
Other renewable-energy funding included $216,945 for DMI Companies in Allegheny County to install a microgrid incorporating six wind turbines and battery storage. DEP expects the system to offset 2.7% of the facility’s annual electricity use.
Tröegs received $204,284 for a carbon dioxide reclamation system that will capture CO2 generated during fermentation and reuse it later in beverage production. The brewery is expected to reduce its need to purchase CO2 and save an estimated $53,416 annually.
“Pennsylvania has a long industrial history, and these RISE PA grants are helping manufacturers build their business with lower energy costs,” Shirley said, adding that the program is intended to support investments in efficiency, renewable energy and pollution reduction.
Energy-efficiency awards also went to Bearing Service Company and Schroeder Industries in Allegheny County; Blair Image Elements and Curry Rail Services in Blair County; Dunmore International in Bucks County; Accupac in Montgomery County; Plain and Fancy Custom Cabinetry in Lebanon County; Ball Corporation in Luzerne County; and West Salisbury Foundry in Somerset County.
Among those projects, Curry Rail Services received $149,930 to replace an outdated air compressor and dryer with variable-speed equipment, an upgrade projected to generate $111,491 in annual energy savings — the largest estimated savings among the individual projects listed by DEP.
PennTAP Director Tanna Pugh said experience with recipients from the first funding round indicated that some businesses planned to reinvest savings in additional energy-efficiency projects, employment and expanded production.
Pennsylvania issued the first round of Small-scale Award Track grants April 1. A third application round has closed, with awards expected later this year, while applications for the fourth round are being accepted through Aug. 17. Additional funding rounds are planned through 2029.
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