Four PA Companies Receive Grants to Develop Alternative and Clean Energy Technologies
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners Alternative and Clean Energy (ACE) Applied Research Fund has selected and approved $55,000 each to four Pennsylvania companies. The funding was made possible through a grant from the United States Small Business Administration.
More than 100 technology-based small businesses in Pennsylvania submitted letters of intent to apply, 57 submitted full proposals and four were named as winners.
Dynalene (Whitehall)
“With this funding, we will take our first steps toward commercial production of our newly developed fuel cell coolant technology, Dynalene FC, in partnership with Lehigh University,” says Satish Mohapatra, Ph.D., president and CEO. “We are developing technology to consistently produce key ingredients of our fuel cell coolant.”
OmniWind Energy Systems (Dublin)
“OmniWind believes in growing wind energy one household and one business at a time, and with the company’s unique low-wind speed, low-noise (silent) design, OmniWind is positioned to produce a revolutionary windmill system that brings clean, renewable wind energy to the American public’s doorstep as a truly affordable solution,” says Karl J. Douglass, president and CEO, OmniWind Energy Systems.
TM Industrial Supply (Erie)
“This grant will enable us to attest to the effectiveness of our filters for coal bed methane,” says Mike Rendon, manager of engineering services, TM Industrial Supply, which is partnering with Gannon University on this project. “Our plan is to market an innovative filter cartridge that can be cleaned and reused multiple times before having to dispose of it, making it environmentally friendly.”
Clean Power Resources (North Huntingdon)
“In the energy-driven economy of today, we at Clean Power Resources are eagerly optimistic about our goal of successfully using waste heat to create a renewable energy source for certain applications,” says Lauren Simkovic, president, Clean Power Resources.
As recipients of an ACE grant, these companies will also receive business and technical assistance services from BFTP.
The grants support the costs of applied research activities, including but not limited to, additional technical/laboratory work, additional market and competitive technology research, further examination/analysis of commercialization path options and implementation of beta tests. In addition, the funds will support development of channel market strategies and full-scale commercialization of new products/processes.
“Through these grants, Pennsylvania’s small businesses will help to accelerate the commercialization of promising alternative and clean energy technologies,” says Rebecca Bagley, deputy secretary for technology investment, Department of Community and Economic Development. “The grants and their recipients will help propel Governor Rendell’s Energy Independence Initiative by growing Pennsylvania’s economy while simultaneously helping to address a major national priority.”
“Projects focusing on the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Tier I energy sources received priority,” says Terry Singer, director of statewide affairs for BFTP and a member of the review panel. “This included technologies generating energy from solar photovoltaic energy, wind power, low-impact hydro-power, geothermal energy, biologically derived methane gas, fuel cells, biomass energy and coal mine methane.”
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