The North Carolina Energy Office has awarded $8 million in federal Recovery Act funds to 27 public and private agencies to promote the use of alternative fuels, make commercial and industrial buildings more energy efficient and provide for greater energy efficiency in transportation.
The projects are estimated to create about 710 jobs and inject approximately $16.1 million into the state’s economy. The projects are being funded through three initiatives: alternative fuels and technology; energy efficiency for commercial, industrial and large nonprofit buildings and energy efficient transportation.
The following are details of the grant awards:
ALTERNATIVE FUELS AND ADVANCED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
Advanced Energy, Raleigh (Wake County) -- $500,000 to install electric vehicle charging stations in the Research Triangle and in Asheville and encourage the purchase of Nissan LEAF all-electric automobiles. Total cost of the project is $1.7 million.
City of Raleigh (Wake County) -- $125,000 to install 15 to 20 electric vehicle charging stations in “high-frequented” public areas to support the city’s ongoing effort to develop an electric vehicle infrastructure in the city. Total cost of the project is $250,000.
Kargo, Raleigh (Wake County) -- $105,500 – to convert existing 10,000-gallon petroleum underground storage tanks to biodiesel and dispense B20 (a blend of 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel). Total cost of the project is $118,960.
N.C. State University Solar Center, Raleigh (Wake County) -- $500,000 to distribute six grants to partners to support equipment purchases, contracting, installation and costs of advance technology vehicle purchases. Total cost of the project is $589,096.
ReLoad, Charlotte (Mecklenburg County) -- $311,440 to place an ethanol transmission and loading facility at the ReVenture Eco-Industrial Park that will move biofuel from rail tanker cars to fuel trucks for transportation to fuel depots. Total cost of the project is $973,181.
COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, LARGE NONPROFIT SECTOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Bernhardt Furniture, Lenoir (Caldwell County) -- $346,250 to optimize the efficiency of the existing dust and ventilation systems in its woodworking operations by installing Variable Frequency Drives on 13 motors that will allow increased energy efficiency. Total cost of the project is $685,025.
Biogen Idec, Research Triangle Park (Wake) -- $138,140 to optimize the efficiency of the existing ventilation systems in its laboratory space by implementing a building-wide ventilation flow rate reduction and unoccupied laboratory setback control system. Total cost of the project is $276,637.
Box Board Products, Greensboro (Guilford County) -- $150,000 to replace the 400-W High Intensity lights in its 335,000-sf production facility with T5HO fluorescent lights and upgrade inefficient furnaces with high efficiency direct fired furnaces. Total cost of the project is $262,025.
Daimler Trucks North America, Cleveland and Mount Holly (Rowan and Gaston counties) -- $450,000 to replace 2,250 high intensity lights at its Cleveland plant and 285 high intensity lights at its Mt. Holly plant with T8 fluorescent fixtures. Total cost of the project is $937,918.
DSM Pharmaceutical, Greenville (Pitt County) -- $500,000 to replace two inefficient water chillers with one energy efficient chiller and install a variable frequency drive on the pump of a third water chiller unit. Total cost of the project is $586,500.
East Carolina Health (Heritage Hospital, Inc.), Tarboro (Edgecombe County) -- $275,000 to replace two inefficient chillers with one high efficiency chiller unit. Total cost of the project is $786,978.
Friendliest Hotel, Greensboro (Guilford County) -- $500,000 to install variable frequency drives on all air handlers over 1-Hp, replace existing building supply and exhaust air systems with a fresh air make-up system (on-demand and energy recovery ventilation components), add a heat recovery chiller to the existing chiller system, and update incandescent lighting fixtures with LEDs and standard plumbing fixtures with low-flow fixtures throughout the O. Henry Hotel in Greensboro to LEED Existing Buildings standards. Total cost of the project is $875,000.
JDC Manufacturing, Reidsville (Rockingham County) – $250,645 to replace its current T12 lights with T5HO fluorescent lights, disconnect 13 old, inefficient furnaces and replace them with two high efficiency furnaces, and install a 50-kW rooftop solar photovoltaic array. Total cost of the project is $438,627.
Lenox Corporation, Kinston (Lenoir County) -- $148,240 to replace high bay metal halide lights with T5HO fluorescent lights and T12 lights with T8 lights. Total cost of the project is $148,240.
Presbyterian Medical Care (Presbyterian Hospital Matthews), Matthews (Mecklenburg County) -- $500,000 to upgrade air handler and terminal unit controls, install variable frequency drives, optimize chiller plant controls, upgrade the current pneumatic control system to a direct digital control system, deploy a series of optimized control algorithms, and re-commission all systems. Total cost of the project is $1.6 million.
Post Publishing Co. (Salisbury Post), Salisbury (Rowan County) -- $146,810 to replace T12 and metal halide lights with T8 lights, weatherize (insulate, caulk and seal) production loading areas and freight elevators, replace its inefficient rooftop HVAC units with new, high efficiency units and re-commission its central energy management system. Total cost of the project is $236,244.
SALT Block Foundation, Hickory (Catawba County) -- $150,000 to replace and cap its boiler heating system with energy efficient heat pumps. Total cost of the project is $801,000.
Sealed Air Corp., Lenoir (Caldwell County) -- $500,000 to replace an inefficient chiller with a heat recovery unit and add a heat exchanger and cooling tower to take advantage of ambient cooling opportunities. Total cost of the project is $550,000.
The Interflex Group, Wilkesboro (Wilkes County) -- $275,398 to change the drying stage of its flexographic printing process from compressed air to heated air blown by motors on variable frequency drives. Total cost of the project is $375,298.
Thomasville Furniture Industries, Lenoir (Caldwell County) -- $292,625 to upgrade its lighting system from T12s to T8s and install energy management control systems for its air compressor and vacuum pump systems. Total cost of the project is $392,268.
United Chemi-Con, Mills River (Henderson County) -- $500,000 to disconnect a large, inefficient oil-fired boiler and several connected steam/heat systems and replace with more efficient electric ovens and wash stations, and replace five inefficient air conditioners with more efficient, smaller units that better meet the reduced air conditioning needs that result from eliminating heat loss from the current steam system. Total cost of the project is $936,400.
ENERGY EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION
City of Kinston (Lenoir County) -- $499,500 to replace 740 high pressure sodium and mercury streetlights with LED streetlights. Total cost of the project is $625,218.
Orange County -- $193,100 to purchase and install energy efficient processing and storage equipment that will be utilized by area agricultural producers. Total cost of the project is $1,447,319.
Sandhills Community College, Pinehurst (Moore County) -- $227,873 to purchase a campus-wide LED lighting system, add four hybrid cars and one plug-in electric service truck to their existing fleet. Total cost of the project is $285,646.
Town of LaGrange (Lenoir County) -- $155,475 to replace a combination of high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor streetlights with LED streetlights. Total cost of the project is $194,445.
Town of Robersonville (Martin County) -- $147,250 to replace a combination of high-pressure sodium and mercury vapor streetlights with LED streetlights. Total cost of the project is $215,111.
Western Piedmont Community College, Morganton (Burke County) -- $124,132 to replace Metal Halide light fixtures with more efficient induction lights on roads, parking lots and walkways throughout the Western Piedmont Community College campus. Total cost of the project is $124,132.