Croda, Inc. Recipient of $950,000 Solar Energy Grant
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – Croda, Inc. has been named recipient of a $950,000 Solar Energy Program grant.
The announcement was made Friday by state Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre. The Croda grant is one of three successful applicants from Clinton and Centre counties; the grants total over $3 million in funding through the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
Hanna said 78 new Solar Energy Program projects were approved in 22 counties. This announcement will expand solar energy implementation and promote development across the commonwealth.
The following projects were approved in the 76th Legislative District:
• Croda, Inc., Clinton County, was approved $950,000 for an alternative energy project;
• SEC Bald Eagle Area School District Solar One, LLC, Centre County, was approved $1.44 million for a solar energy project; and
• Clean Energy Inc., Centre County, was approved $642,894 for an alternative energy project.
“This program positions Pennsylvania as a strong leader of clean energy innovation,” Hanna said. “And, this funding works to expand our solar energy footprint across the state and will work to provide these approved businesses with sustainable, renewable energy. I am thrilled to see Croda, Bald Eagle Area School District and Clean Energy receive this funding.”
The approved projects include the installation of rooftop- or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic power generation facilities that will generate significant amounts of electricity – in some cases, allowing facilities to draw 100 percent of their power from the new solar-powered systems. The total funding for all approved projects statewide is just under $30 million.
Authorized by the Alternative Energy Investment Act of 2008, the Solar Energy Program provides financial assistance in the form of grant and loan funds that are used by eligible applicants to promote the generation and use of solar energy and the manufacture or assembly of solar equipment in the commonwealth. The program is administered jointly by the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Environmental Protection under the direction of the CFA.
The CFA was established in 2004 as an independent agency of the DCED to administer Pennsylvania’s economic stimulus packages. The CFA holds fiduciary responsibility over the funding of programs and investments in Pennsylvania’s economic growth. Unique among state agencies in structure and scope, the CFA consists of seven board members: four legislative appointees and the secretaries of DCED, the Office of the Budget and the Department of Banking and Securities. Project approval requires five affirmative votes, four of which must come from legislative appointees.
