ARRA First 100 Days Report: A Few Energy Projects Called Out

In May, the White House released a report on the first 100 days since President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law. According to the report, the federal government obligated more than $112 billion, created more than 150,000 jobs and helped communi­ties and tribes in every state and territory during that time period.

Among the 100 projects highlighted in the report were a few energy-related initiatives, including:

·         Solar fuels research. A five-year, $17.5 million grant from the Department of Energy will pay for development of a solar fuels research center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The center will explore using the sun’s energy to make fuels from water and carbon dioxide that could be used for heating, transportation or energy storage

·         A green retrofit in DC. Using $27 million of Recovery Act funding, a public housing development in Washington, D.C., the Regency House, underwent a green retrofit. The building installed solar panels, a “green” roof, a rainwater collection system, and various energy-efficient upgrades. The greening of this building will allow the Regency House to save money in energy costs, while lessening their impact on the environment.

·         Powering sewage treatment with captured biogases. Improvements  at a large sewage treatment plant in Overland Park, Kansas will include an energy cogeneration facility to supply the plants’ annual energy requirements from captured biogases. The $16 million green infrastructure project should reduce annual greenhouse emissions by more than 9,700 metric tons, according to the EPA. The plant anticipates annual savings to local taxpayers of $600,000.

Read the full report on the Recovery Act’s first 100 days here.