Markell Administration, DNREC Energy Office Applaud First Commercial Wind Turbine in New Castle County
Ion Power Inc. receives grant from Delaware Green Energy Fund
NEW CASTLE, DE – March 17, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — Officials in Gov. Jack Markell’s administration praised Monday’s activation of the first commercial wind turbine in New Castle County, which will harness an abundant natural resource and convert it into electricity. Funded in part by a grant from the Delaware Green Energy Fund, the wind turbine will generate an estimated 100 mega-watt hours per year of electricity for use by Ion Power’s manufacturing facility.
Gov. Markell has made a priority of positioning Delaware to prosper in the emerging Green Economy, keeping his pledge to place the state’s environmental health and welfare at the center of the public policy debate. Under the Governor’s leadership, Delaware was the only state invited to participate in the landmark nationwide Climate Prosperity Project and, last month, the Governor announced a grant award that will help AutoPort in Wilmington manufacture electric vehicles.
“The wind turbine represents the state’s ongoing efforts to support new sources of renewable, clean energy,” said David Small, acting secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. “Our grant to Ion Power is an important economic investment in clean energy technology that will reap tremendous benefits for our environment and energy independence. Generating wind power here in New Castle – in this urban area – will introduce thousands of Delawareans to a new and dynamic way to power our future.”
Said Delaware Economic Development Director Alan Levin: “Governor Markell is committed to putting Delaware on the cutting edge of the Green Economy. In addition to the environmental benefits, assisting Ion Power, AutoPort and similar companies supports our shared goal of pursuing sustainable economic development. This also holds significant job-creation potential at a time when thousands of Delawareans need to get back to work.”
Ion Power, located at 720 Governor Lea Road in New Castle, manufactures membrane electrode products for hydrogen fuel cell and water electrolyzer applications. The company provides cutting-edge technology in energy production.
To meet its electricity needs, Ion Power purchased the 90-kilowatt, remanufactured wind turbine installed by Blue Skies Solar and Wind Power in New Castle and was awarded a $100,000 Delaware Green Energy Fund grant from DNREC’s Delaware Energy Office to help fund the project.
According to studies from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Department of Energy, average winds speeds are expected to be 9.6 – 11.9 miles per hour at the apex of the 130-foot wind turbine located adjacent to the Delaware River. Ion Power estimates that the electricity generated will supply 1.5 times the company’s current annual electricity needs.
By switching to wind power, Ion Power’s first year energy savings are estimated to be approximately $6,200, with its 30-year savings estimated at more than $240,000. The company is expected to receive $600 per year in renewable energy credits, environmental certificates for electricity generated from a clean, renewable energy resource. Renewable energy credits can be sold and traded and provide a subsidy for electricity generated from renewable sources. The credits will help achieve the goals of Delaware’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, the regulatory policy established by the Delaware General Assembly that requires increased production from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energies.
The Delaware Green Energy Fund was signed into law in 1999 to encourage and promote the use of renewable electric generation and alternate energy technologies by residential and commercial customers. The fund provides grants for Delaware citizens and businesses for installation of renewable energy systems.
For more information on DNREC’s Delaware Energy Office and the Delaware Green Energy Fund, visit www.dnrec.delaware.gov.
Contact: Joe Rogalsky, Office of the Governor, 302-745-9299 or Melanie Rapp, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902
