In three separate awards, the California Energy Commission approved $29.6 million to provide workforce development, create clean jobs and improve energy efficiency throughout California. Funding for the projects comes from the federal America Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The three programs - EnergySmart Jobs, Energy Technology Assistance Program (ETAP), and the Downtown Oakland Targeted Measure Project - were awarded funding from the California's State Energy Program (SEP) for energy programs focused on existing commercial and residential building energy efficiency (and water efficiency) retrofits.

"These exciting programs are models for leveraging private funding with public funds to create partnerships that are designed to bring new jobs into the market, boosting our statewide economy," said Karen Douglas, California Energy Commission Chairman. "By upgrading commercial buildings to be more energy efficient, we're showing building owners, operators and occupants that energy efficiency can provide cost savings and other valuable non-energy paybacks while at the same time benefitting the state with lower greenhouse gas emissions. Improved building comfort and reduced maintenance costs will help convince customers to accept and demand new energy efficient innovations, helping to transform the market."

At a Recovery Act Cabinet Meeting today, Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the U.S. Department of Energy is awarding $106 million in funding for 37 ambitious research projects that could fundamentally change the way the country uses and produces energy. Funded through DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the $106 million is awarded to projects that could produce advanced biofuels more efficiently from renewable electricity instead of sunlight; design completely new types of batteries to make electric vehicles more affordable; and remove the carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants in a more cost-effective way.

"Thanks to the Recovery Act, dozens of cutting-edge research projects with the potential to dramatically transform how we use energy in this country will now be able to get underway," said Vice President Biden. "By investing in our top researchers, we're not only continuing in the spirit of American innovation, but helping build a competitive American clean energy industry that will create secure jobs here at home for years to come."

In order to foster investment and job creation in clean energy manufacturing, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included a tax credit for investments in manufacturing facilities for clean energy technologies. The Section 48C program will provide a 30 percent tax credit for investments in 183 manufacturing facilities for clean energy products across 43 states. This tax credit program will help build a robust high technology, US manufacturing capacity to supply clean energy projects with US made parts and equipment. These manufacturing facilities should also support significant growth in US exports of US manufactured clean energy products. The $2.3 billion in tax credits is being allocated on a competitive basis. Projects are assessed based on the following criteria,: commercial viability, domestic job creation, technological innovation, speed to project completion, and potential for reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Department of Energy also considered additional factors including diversity of geography, technology and project size, and regional economic development. The program is currently capped at $2.3 billion in tax credits and was oversubscribed by a ratio of more than 3 to 1, reflecting a deep pipeline of high quality clean energy manufacturing opportunities in the U.S. These tax credits for clean energy manufacturing will help rebuild domestic manufacturing and bring private capital off the sidelines.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy