Join us for a Webinar on October 21
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Reserve your Webinar Seat Now at:
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The Indiana Renewable Energy Association in conjunction with Indiana Distributed Energy Advocates are sponsoring a Special Webinar with Neil Brown with the Office of Sen. Dick Lugar of Indiana.
Sen. Lugar and his proposed federal energy policy was the subject of a recent Indianapolis Star Guest Editorial by John Mutz. See http://indianarenew.blogspot.com/2010/10/mutz-says-lugar-plan-outshines-other.html
Although no one can predict the outcome of the November 2nd elections and its impact on federal energy policy, we can look back at what policies and proposals were introduced and look forward to see those that might be on the table during the lame duck session of Congress.
In early June, Sen. Lugar introduced his Practical Energy and Climate Plan or S. 3464. Later in June, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) prepared a memorandum that provided a short summary and comparison of four legislative proposals that were under some level of consideration in the U.S. Senate. Sen. Lugar's proposal was one of the four discussed. While all four proposals fall within the broad category of energy and climate change policy, the specifics of the proposals vary significantly, and their approaches vary in many ways.
For more details and a link to the CRS report, visit http://indianadg.wordpress.com/2010/06/27/crs-comparison-of-selected-energy-climate-change-bills/
Brown will both look back and look forward on these federal energy and climate change proposals.
Neil Brown is an advisor to Senator Dick Lugar of Indiana. He serves as a Senior Professional Staff Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with responsibility for energy security and the Nunn-Lugar non-proliferation program. Neil earned masters degrees in political theory and forced migration while studying as a Rhodes Scholar at University of Oxford (UK). He also holds a BA from Harvard University. He has done substantial field work while living in South Asia, Namibia and Egypt, and he has previously worked with the Harvard Institute for International Development and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2009, Neil was a Washington Fellow of the National Review Institute. He is a board member of the Association of American Rhodes Scholars, a trustee of the Merton College Charitable Corporation. Neil is from Iowa, where his family farm is located.
Webinar Title: Pre-election Look at Federal Energy Legislation Options by Neil Brown with Office of Sen. Dick Lugar
Date: Thursday, October 21, 2010
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM EDT
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Showing posts with label Sen. Dick Lugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sen. Dick Lugar. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Mutz says Lugar plan outshines other energy bills
http://www.indystar.com/article/20101012/OPINION01/10120313/Lugar-plan-outshines-other-energy-bills
Written by John Mutz
It's no secret that Indiana's economy is struggling to regain its footing. Like the rest of the country, we've lost a lot of jobs and our unemployment rate is higher than it has been in many years.
What may be surprising to some, though, are the great strides our state is making in the area of clean energy industries during these difficult economic times.
Relatively quietly, Indiana is making a name for itself as an outstanding place to manufacture electric cars and the batteries that run them, not to mention solar panels and parts for wind turbines.
Gov. Mitch Daniels and his team have rightly begun to focus on this area of opportunity for Hoosiers. Over the last year, Abound Solar in Tipton, Wind Stream Technologies in New Albany, EnerDel in Central Indiana, Anderson-based Bright Automotive, Brevini USA in Muncie, and Elkhart's Think North America have made headlines for creating jobs and giving our economy a much-needed boost.
A number of well-established companies are also having a huge impact.
Remy International in Pendleton just entered a partnership to bring a new-generation electric drive system to market. Cummins just received more than $38 million in federal grants to develop a highly efficient and clean diesel engine. Allison Transmission's new hybrid drive manufacturing plant in Indianapolis will employ 100 when it reaches full production.
Duke Energy is investing more than $2.8 billion into its coal gasification plant, which will burn a cleaner gas to produce power.
With these innovations, we're ahead of the clean energy curve, but now we need some changes to federal policy to remain there. Energy independence should be a priority in Washington. So far the House has passed a bill, and the Senate has not reached a consensus on climate change energy legislation.
One bright spot has been the fact that Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar is among those who believe that the country needs to take steps to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He's filed a bill that will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, or about 1.6 billion metric tons -- the equivalent of taking more than 240 million cars off our roads. His bill is a balanced approach that provides a reasonable step toward this goal, and it provides economic incentives that will support the growing Indiana clean energy business.
The evidence that clean energy leads to good, high-paying jobs for Hoosiers is clear. However, if you need more evidence consider this: China vaulted past Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines and is poised to expand even further. In addition, the Chinese have emerged as the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels and are pushing hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal power plants.
No matter what the case, we do need additional legislation at the federal level. It is better to consider an approach that doesn't threaten Hoosier jobs, such as cap-and-trade, but still moves us toward the goal of energy independence. Lugar's bill does this.
Mutz is a consultant and private investor, former two-term lieutenant governor of Indiana, former president of Lilly Endowment and former president of Cinergy/PSI Indiana.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Written by John Mutz
It's no secret that Indiana's economy is struggling to regain its footing. Like the rest of the country, we've lost a lot of jobs and our unemployment rate is higher than it has been in many years.
What may be surprising to some, though, are the great strides our state is making in the area of clean energy industries during these difficult economic times.
Relatively quietly, Indiana is making a name for itself as an outstanding place to manufacture electric cars and the batteries that run them, not to mention solar panels and parts for wind turbines.
Gov. Mitch Daniels and his team have rightly begun to focus on this area of opportunity for Hoosiers. Over the last year, Abound Solar in Tipton, Wind Stream Technologies in New Albany, EnerDel in Central Indiana, Anderson-based Bright Automotive, Brevini USA in Muncie, and Elkhart's Think North America have made headlines for creating jobs and giving our economy a much-needed boost.
A number of well-established companies are also having a huge impact.
Remy International in Pendleton just entered a partnership to bring a new-generation electric drive system to market. Cummins just received more than $38 million in federal grants to develop a highly efficient and clean diesel engine. Allison Transmission's new hybrid drive manufacturing plant in Indianapolis will employ 100 when it reaches full production.
Duke Energy is investing more than $2.8 billion into its coal gasification plant, which will burn a cleaner gas to produce power.
With these innovations, we're ahead of the clean energy curve, but now we need some changes to federal policy to remain there. Energy independence should be a priority in Washington. So far the House has passed a bill, and the Senate has not reached a consensus on climate change energy legislation.
One bright spot has been the fact that Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar is among those who believe that the country needs to take steps to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He's filed a bill that will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent, or about 1.6 billion metric tons -- the equivalent of taking more than 240 million cars off our roads. His bill is a balanced approach that provides a reasonable step toward this goal, and it provides economic incentives that will support the growing Indiana clean energy business.
The evidence that clean energy leads to good, high-paying jobs for Hoosiers is clear. However, if you need more evidence consider this: China vaulted past Denmark, Germany, Spain and the United States last year to become the world's largest maker of wind turbines and is poised to expand even further. In addition, the Chinese have emerged as the world's largest manufacturer of solar panels and are pushing hard to build nuclear reactors and the most efficient types of coal power plants.
No matter what the case, we do need additional legislation at the federal level. It is better to consider an approach that doesn't threaten Hoosier jobs, such as cap-and-trade, but still moves us toward the goal of energy independence. Lugar's bill does this.
Mutz is a consultant and private investor, former two-term lieutenant governor of Indiana, former president of Lilly Endowment and former president of Cinergy/PSI Indiana.
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Abound Energy to Purchase Getrag Plant in Tipton to Manufacture Solar Panels
From Indiana Economic Digest
7/4/2010 12:54:00 PM
Solar company bringing 850 jobs to empty Tipton County's Getrag plant by 2013
Ken de la Bastide, Kokomo Tribune Enterprise Editor
Tipton — The vacant Getrag Transmission plant on U.S. 31 in Tipton County has a new tenant that will bring 850 jobs to the region by 2013.
President Barack Obama announced Saturday that Colorado-based Abound Solar was given a $400 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to expand its operations in Longmont, Colo., and to purchase the Getrag building.
During his weekly radio address, Obama announced $1.85 billion in loan guarantees to two companies. The first went to Abengoa Solar, which will receive $1.45 billion to build a solar plant in Arizona.
“The second company is Abound Solar Manufacturing, which will manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs,” Obama said. “A Colorado plant is already under way, and an Indiana plant will be built in what’s now an empty Chrysler [Getrag] factory. When fully operational, these plants will produce millions of state-of-the-art solar panels each year.”
Abound Solar is expected to provide up to 1,200 jobs when the plant is in full operation. The company makes state-of-the-art solar panels, which are sold for industrial and commercial applications with a large market in Europe.
The company has been negotiating with Tipton County officials for approximately nine months to bring the company to the region.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has worked alongside the Tipton County Commissioners, the Indiana Secretary of State’s office and the U.S. Department of Energy to assist Abound Solar in finalizing its purchase of the more than 800,000 square-foot facility. The move represents a more than $500 million investment in machinery, equipment and building improvements.
“While the loss of Getrag was disappointing after so much work, the region will now add 850 new jobs — what a great way to celebrate Independence Day,” said Gov. Mitch Daniels in a press release.
A new partnership
Abound Solar’s thin-film photovoltaic module manufacturing technology was born out of Colorado State University in the late 1980s. The company, which also has production operations in Longmont, Colo., expects the Tipton site, when complete, will be the largest solar panel manufacturing facility in the U.S., producing millions of panels annually.
“State and local representatives from Indiana were particularly instrumental in our efforts to finalize plans for this state-of-the-art facility and create high-paying jobs for Hoosier workers,” said Steve Abely, Abound Solar chief financial officer. “We are excited about the opportunity to make America a global driver of renewable, affordable and abundant solar energy.”
The company intends to hire for positions such as engineers, technicians and production associates once facility renovations begin.
“The addition of solar panel manufacturing builds on Indiana’s strong clean-tech energy sector and provides many new opportunities to the Tipton community,” said Mitch Roob, secretary of commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Roob said Saturday that talks with the company have been ongoing for 18 months.
“This is a terrific deal,” he said, noting most of the proceeds from the sale of the building will go to contractors who weren’t paid when Getrag filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009.
“We worked hard on the bankruptcy,” Roob said. “The governor wanted to make sure we worked with the contractors. This is not perfect, but we’re pleased with the outcome.”
Roob said the Tipton location met all the criteria Abound Solar was looking for. The building was designed for high tech manufacturing, ready to move in and could address the needs of new environmental issues.
“There is no timetable for them to move in,” he said. “We worked on this a long time. This was a large transaction and the federal government wanted to be sure the technology was plausible.”
Sealing the deal
The IEDC offered Abound Solar up to $11.85 million in performance-based tax credits and $250,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans and will also provide workforce and ombudsman assistance. Tipton County has approved additional incentives, including tax abatement for the company along with tax increment financing dollars to the land trust that owns the building.
The Getrag plant was being constructed as a joint venture between Chrysler and Germany’s Getrag Transmission LLC. The plant was expected to provide up to 800 jobs, but with construction not complete in 2008, Chrysler pulled out of the agreement and filed a lawsuit against Getrag.
The bankruptcy court put the sale of the building in the hands of a trust, which represented several contractors who were unpaid for work performed at the Tipton site. The trust had until September to sell the building.
Tipton County officials provided $13 million as an incentive to lower the cost of the building to Abound Solar.
Tipton County Commissioner Jane Harper said Abound Solar selected Tipton County last September when it applied for the Department of Energy loan.
“I have been working toward the goal of bringing Abound Solar job opportunities to Tipton since April 30, 2009,” Harper, president of the Tipton County Redevelopment Commission, said Saturday. “It has been a long nine months anxiously awaiting the DOE’s decision and I am happy to finally hear the great news. Individuals from the local, state and federal levels all played a specific role in arriving at this juncture.”
Benefits of going green
Harper said Abound Solar is a perfect fit for Tipton County, which will pair superior crop production on re-usable land with “green” manufacturing in a unique form of economic development.
“With our predominant agricultural base, the establishment of Abound Solar at the crossroads of our community and three wind-energy companies with plans to place wind farms in our county, we can create a unique marketing opportunity in selling Tipton County and its products as the ‘green’ capital,” she said. “This combination of distinct resources will perhaps make us the only county in the nation that is prosperous from within.”
Ken Ziegler, president of the Tipton County Commissioners, said Abound Solar’s advanced manufacturing process will bring jobs to Tipton County residents, increase the county’s tax base and allow even more opportunities for additional industrial and commercial development in the county.
“State and county officials have worked for over a year with this company,” he said. “We are grateful that our efforts have paid off, and want to thank all involved that have helped get us to this announcement today. It was a huge team effort and it was worth all the time and energy it took.”
© 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
Feds, state announce plans for Tipton solar-panel plant
Indianapolis Star report
Posted: July 3, 2010
Colorado-based Abound Solar will invest $500 million in an unfinished Tipton, Ind., plant that had once been set for making cars.
The unfinished plant will become a solar-panel manufacturing facility with the help of a $400 million loan guarantee, the state and federal government announced today.
Abound Solar could employ up to 850 people by 2013 at the 800,000-square-foot plant at Ind. 28 and U.S. 31 in Tipton County.
The solar company got its start at Colorado State University. The $400 million federal loan guarantee is expected to create 1,500 permanent jobs in Colorado and Indiana. The loan guarantee is part of nearly $2 billion in stimulus funds approved by the U.S. Department of Energy to Longmont, Colo.-based Abound and Abengoa Solar Inc., President Barack Obama said today in a weekly radio address.
"What a great way to celebrate Independence Day," said Gov. Mitch Daniels in a statement issued today by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. he heads.
Federal loan guarantees help companies gain access to capital from a financial sector that’s still reluctant to lend. They remove the risks for lenders.
The state agency said it has offered Abound Solar up to $11.85 million in performance-based tax breaks and $250,000 in training grants. Also, Tipton County officials approved additional incentives.
The announcement of a solar-panel maker in the plant had been made previously, although the name of the company involved and the amount to be invested in the plant had not been released. Officials in the central Indiana county, north of Indianapolis, in May approved a $13 million incentive package that they hoped would attract the solar panel maker to the sprawling factory that a Chrysler supplier stopped building in 2008. German auto parts maker Getrag had planned it as a 1,400-worker transmission factory.
"State and local representatives from Indiana were particularly instrumental in our efforts to finalize plans for this state-of-the-art facility and create high-paying jobs for Hoosier workers," said Steve Abely, Abound Solar's chief financial officer, in a news release from the state. "We are excited about the opportunity to make America a global driver of renewable, affordable and abundant solar energy."
Indiana officials involved in the effort over the past year included U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; the Tipton County Board of Commissioners; several Indiana congressmen; and representatives of the secretary of state's office, the release said.
No salary amounts were included in the release, but the company plans to hire positions such as engineers, technicians and production workers.
"The advanced manufacturing process of this new business will bring jobs to Tipton County residents, increase our tax base and allow even more opportunities for additional industrial and commercial development in our county," said Ken Ziegler, president of the county commissioners, in the release.
Tipton County's unemployment rate of 10.4 percent in May was above the state rate of 10 percent and the national rate of 9.7 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday the nation's jobless rate dropped to 9.5 percent last month, but June's rates in Indiana are not due out until July 20.
President Obama said the $1.85 billion in loan guarantees to Abengoa SA's Abengoa Solar unit and Abound Solar Inc. will be used to build sun-powered facilities in the U.S. and will create thousands of new jobs.
In his weekly address, Obama said the money from the Department of Energy will help the U.S. transition to a "clean energy economy" that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in the future.
"We're going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," Obama said.
The loan guarantees will come from money in the $862 billion economic stimulus program enacted early last year, according to Bloomberg News. Obama announced the funding the day after government figures showed private employers adding fewer workers than forecast in June, reinforcing concerns the economic recovery will weaken.
"The recession from which we're emerging has left us in a hole that's about 8 million jobs deep," Obama said. "And as I've said from the day I took office, it's going to take months, even years, to dig our way out."
Abengoa Solar, a unit of the Seville, Spain-based engineering company, will receive a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to build a solar-power plant in Arizona that will create 1,600 construction jobs and 85 permanent jobs, according to White House documents released in conjunction with Obama's address.
The power plant will be the first of its kind in the U.S. and generate enough energy to power 70,000 homes, Obama said.
Press Release of Senator Lugar
Lugar welcomes solar grant for Tipton
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
U.S. Senator Dick Lugar today welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) of a loan guarantee for a Colorado-based company to manufacture solar panels in Tipton, Indiana.
The DOE informed Lugar that it will make a conditional commitment of $400 million to Abound Solar Manufacturing, LLC, based in Lakewood, Colorado. According to the DOE, the company will manufacture state-of-the-art thin-film solar panels. This will be the first time this technology is deployed commercially anywhere in the world. The project includes two facilities, one in Longmont, Colorado and the other in Tipton, Indiana. The Indiana facility will occupy a new factory originally constructed for Getrag, a Chrysler auto parts supplier that was never able to move in due to the economic downturn.
When fully operational, the company will produce millions of solar panels annually, the DOE informed Lugar. The panels can be produced at a lower cost than crystalline silicon modules and emit less greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing solar panel manufacturers. The project’s initial annual production of panels will be able to produce 840 megawatts (MW) of power. With future panel efficiency improvements, that number could increase up to 1,100 MW. The project is expected to reach full capacity by 2013.
“I am very pleased to learn that the Department of Energy has approved this loan guarantee which will advance Abound’s plans to manufacture these innovative solar panels in Indiana,” Lugar said. “I am encouraged that the hard work of Tipton County local officials, and the State of Indiana’s Economic Development Corporation, has garnered Indiana a new corporate manufacturer. I believe that this investment bodes very well for future employment and renewable energy sales opportunities from this innovative company.”
The Abound loan application was strongly endorsed by the Indiana Congressional Delegation in a letter of support in October 2009.
These articles brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
7/4/2010 12:54:00 PM
Solar company bringing 850 jobs to empty Tipton County's Getrag plant by 2013
Ken de la Bastide, Kokomo Tribune Enterprise Editor
Tipton — The vacant Getrag Transmission plant on U.S. 31 in Tipton County has a new tenant that will bring 850 jobs to the region by 2013.
President Barack Obama announced Saturday that Colorado-based Abound Solar was given a $400 million loan guarantee from the Department of Energy to expand its operations in Longmont, Colo., and to purchase the Getrag building.
During his weekly radio address, Obama announced $1.85 billion in loan guarantees to two companies. The first went to Abengoa Solar, which will receive $1.45 billion to build a solar plant in Arizona.
“The second company is Abound Solar Manufacturing, which will manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs,” Obama said. “A Colorado plant is already under way, and an Indiana plant will be built in what’s now an empty Chrysler [Getrag] factory. When fully operational, these plants will produce millions of state-of-the-art solar panels each year.”
Abound Solar is expected to provide up to 1,200 jobs when the plant is in full operation. The company makes state-of-the-art solar panels, which are sold for industrial and commercial applications with a large market in Europe.
The company has been negotiating with Tipton County officials for approximately nine months to bring the company to the region.
The Indiana Economic Development Corp. has worked alongside the Tipton County Commissioners, the Indiana Secretary of State’s office and the U.S. Department of Energy to assist Abound Solar in finalizing its purchase of the more than 800,000 square-foot facility. The move represents a more than $500 million investment in machinery, equipment and building improvements.
“While the loss of Getrag was disappointing after so much work, the region will now add 850 new jobs — what a great way to celebrate Independence Day,” said Gov. Mitch Daniels in a press release.
A new partnership
Abound Solar’s thin-film photovoltaic module manufacturing technology was born out of Colorado State University in the late 1980s. The company, which also has production operations in Longmont, Colo., expects the Tipton site, when complete, will be the largest solar panel manufacturing facility in the U.S., producing millions of panels annually.
“State and local representatives from Indiana were particularly instrumental in our efforts to finalize plans for this state-of-the-art facility and create high-paying jobs for Hoosier workers,” said Steve Abely, Abound Solar chief financial officer. “We are excited about the opportunity to make America a global driver of renewable, affordable and abundant solar energy.”
The company intends to hire for positions such as engineers, technicians and production associates once facility renovations begin.
“The addition of solar panel manufacturing builds on Indiana’s strong clean-tech energy sector and provides many new opportunities to the Tipton community,” said Mitch Roob, secretary of commerce and chief executive officer of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
Roob said Saturday that talks with the company have been ongoing for 18 months.
“This is a terrific deal,” he said, noting most of the proceeds from the sale of the building will go to contractors who weren’t paid when Getrag filed for bankruptcy protection in 2009.
“We worked hard on the bankruptcy,” Roob said. “The governor wanted to make sure we worked with the contractors. This is not perfect, but we’re pleased with the outcome.”
Roob said the Tipton location met all the criteria Abound Solar was looking for. The building was designed for high tech manufacturing, ready to move in and could address the needs of new environmental issues.
“There is no timetable for them to move in,” he said. “We worked on this a long time. This was a large transaction and the federal government wanted to be sure the technology was plausible.”
Sealing the deal
The IEDC offered Abound Solar up to $11.85 million in performance-based tax credits and $250,000 in training grants based on the company’s job creation plans and will also provide workforce and ombudsman assistance. Tipton County has approved additional incentives, including tax abatement for the company along with tax increment financing dollars to the land trust that owns the building.
The Getrag plant was being constructed as a joint venture between Chrysler and Germany’s Getrag Transmission LLC. The plant was expected to provide up to 800 jobs, but with construction not complete in 2008, Chrysler pulled out of the agreement and filed a lawsuit against Getrag.
The bankruptcy court put the sale of the building in the hands of a trust, which represented several contractors who were unpaid for work performed at the Tipton site. The trust had until September to sell the building.
Tipton County officials provided $13 million as an incentive to lower the cost of the building to Abound Solar.
Tipton County Commissioner Jane Harper said Abound Solar selected Tipton County last September when it applied for the Department of Energy loan.
“I have been working toward the goal of bringing Abound Solar job opportunities to Tipton since April 30, 2009,” Harper, president of the Tipton County Redevelopment Commission, said Saturday. “It has been a long nine months anxiously awaiting the DOE’s decision and I am happy to finally hear the great news. Individuals from the local, state and federal levels all played a specific role in arriving at this juncture.”
Benefits of going green
Harper said Abound Solar is a perfect fit for Tipton County, which will pair superior crop production on re-usable land with “green” manufacturing in a unique form of economic development.
“With our predominant agricultural base, the establishment of Abound Solar at the crossroads of our community and three wind-energy companies with plans to place wind farms in our county, we can create a unique marketing opportunity in selling Tipton County and its products as the ‘green’ capital,” she said. “This combination of distinct resources will perhaps make us the only county in the nation that is prosperous from within.”
Ken Ziegler, president of the Tipton County Commissioners, said Abound Solar’s advanced manufacturing process will bring jobs to Tipton County residents, increase the county’s tax base and allow even more opportunities for additional industrial and commercial development in the county.
“State and county officials have worked for over a year with this company,” he said. “We are grateful that our efforts have paid off, and want to thank all involved that have helped get us to this announcement today. It was a huge team effort and it was worth all the time and energy it took.”
© 2010 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.
Feds, state announce plans for Tipton solar-panel plant
Indianapolis Star report
Posted: July 3, 2010
Colorado-based Abound Solar will invest $500 million in an unfinished Tipton, Ind., plant that had once been set for making cars.
The unfinished plant will become a solar-panel manufacturing facility with the help of a $400 million loan guarantee, the state and federal government announced today.
Abound Solar could employ up to 850 people by 2013 at the 800,000-square-foot plant at Ind. 28 and U.S. 31 in Tipton County.
The solar company got its start at Colorado State University. The $400 million federal loan guarantee is expected to create 1,500 permanent jobs in Colorado and Indiana. The loan guarantee is part of nearly $2 billion in stimulus funds approved by the U.S. Department of Energy to Longmont, Colo.-based Abound and Abengoa Solar Inc., President Barack Obama said today in a weekly radio address.
"What a great way to celebrate Independence Day," said Gov. Mitch Daniels in a statement issued today by the Indiana Economic Development Corp. he heads.
Federal loan guarantees help companies gain access to capital from a financial sector that’s still reluctant to lend. They remove the risks for lenders.
The state agency said it has offered Abound Solar up to $11.85 million in performance-based tax breaks and $250,000 in training grants. Also, Tipton County officials approved additional incentives.
The announcement of a solar-panel maker in the plant had been made previously, although the name of the company involved and the amount to be invested in the plant had not been released. Officials in the central Indiana county, north of Indianapolis, in May approved a $13 million incentive package that they hoped would attract the solar panel maker to the sprawling factory that a Chrysler supplier stopped building in 2008. German auto parts maker Getrag had planned it as a 1,400-worker transmission factory.
"State and local representatives from Indiana were particularly instrumental in our efforts to finalize plans for this state-of-the-art facility and create high-paying jobs for Hoosier workers," said Steve Abely, Abound Solar's chief financial officer, in a news release from the state. "We are excited about the opportunity to make America a global driver of renewable, affordable and abundant solar energy."
Indiana officials involved in the effort over the past year included U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind.; the Tipton County Board of Commissioners; several Indiana congressmen; and representatives of the secretary of state's office, the release said.
No salary amounts were included in the release, but the company plans to hire positions such as engineers, technicians and production workers.
"The advanced manufacturing process of this new business will bring jobs to Tipton County residents, increase our tax base and allow even more opportunities for additional industrial and commercial development in our county," said Ken Ziegler, president of the county commissioners, in the release.
Tipton County's unemployment rate of 10.4 percent in May was above the state rate of 10 percent and the national rate of 9.7 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday the nation's jobless rate dropped to 9.5 percent last month, but June's rates in Indiana are not due out until July 20.
President Obama said the $1.85 billion in loan guarantees to Abengoa SA's Abengoa Solar unit and Abound Solar Inc. will be used to build sun-powered facilities in the U.S. and will create thousands of new jobs.
In his weekly address, Obama said the money from the Department of Energy will help the U.S. transition to a "clean energy economy" that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs in the future.
"We're going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America," Obama said.
The loan guarantees will come from money in the $862 billion economic stimulus program enacted early last year, according to Bloomberg News. Obama announced the funding the day after government figures showed private employers adding fewer workers than forecast in June, reinforcing concerns the economic recovery will weaken.
"The recession from which we're emerging has left us in a hole that's about 8 million jobs deep," Obama said. "And as I've said from the day I took office, it's going to take months, even years, to dig our way out."
Abengoa Solar, a unit of the Seville, Spain-based engineering company, will receive a $1.45 billion loan guarantee to build a solar-power plant in Arizona that will create 1,600 construction jobs and 85 permanent jobs, according to White House documents released in conjunction with Obama's address.
The power plant will be the first of its kind in the U.S. and generate enough energy to power 70,000 homes, Obama said.
Press Release of Senator Lugar
Lugar welcomes solar grant for Tipton
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
U.S. Senator Dick Lugar today welcomed the announcement by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) of a loan guarantee for a Colorado-based company to manufacture solar panels in Tipton, Indiana.
The DOE informed Lugar that it will make a conditional commitment of $400 million to Abound Solar Manufacturing, LLC, based in Lakewood, Colorado. According to the DOE, the company will manufacture state-of-the-art thin-film solar panels. This will be the first time this technology is deployed commercially anywhere in the world. The project includes two facilities, one in Longmont, Colorado and the other in Tipton, Indiana. The Indiana facility will occupy a new factory originally constructed for Getrag, a Chrysler auto parts supplier that was never able to move in due to the economic downturn.
When fully operational, the company will produce millions of solar panels annually, the DOE informed Lugar. The panels can be produced at a lower cost than crystalline silicon modules and emit less greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing solar panel manufacturers. The project’s initial annual production of panels will be able to produce 840 megawatts (MW) of power. With future panel efficiency improvements, that number could increase up to 1,100 MW. The project is expected to reach full capacity by 2013.
“I am very pleased to learn that the Department of Energy has approved this loan guarantee which will advance Abound’s plans to manufacture these innovative solar panels in Indiana,” Lugar said. “I am encouraged that the hard work of Tipton County local officials, and the State of Indiana’s Economic Development Corporation, has garnered Indiana a new corporate manufacturer. I believe that this investment bodes very well for future employment and renewable energy sales opportunities from this innovative company.”
The Abound loan application was strongly endorsed by the Indiana Congressional Delegation in a letter of support in October 2009.
These articles brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Lugar takes best shot at energy plan
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100605/OPINION08/6050325/1291/OPINION08/Lugar-takes-best-shot-at-energy-plan
Our Opinion--Indianapolis Star
Posted: June 5, 2010
There should be no doubt that the United States needs an energy and climate policy, just as there should be no expectation of a perfect law to that effect -- one that satisfies industry, environmentalists, consumers and legislators from states with varying fossil-fuel dependency.
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., seeks to address both realities with a bill to be introduced next week aimed at wooing colleagues whose support is lacking for the Democratic plan of the moment.
With polls showing weak popular regard for cap-and-trade, and with votes lacking from coal-state Democrats as well as Republicans, the Kerry-Lieberman bill appears permanently stalled. This, despite concessions to energy companies and coal-dependent states, made at the cost of alienating many environmental groups.
Lugar's bill will not please those who insist on tough immediate mandates for cutting emissions and raising the proportion of energy drawn from renewable sources. It does advance the discussion, however, by emphasizing conservation, nuclear power and the phase-out of aging coal-powered generating plants. It tends to subordinate long-term economies to existing jobs and utility rate restraint, but Lugar insists there's no ultimate conflict.
"It's more practical," says his spokesman, Andy Fisher. "It saves consumers money. It fixes the leaks (in building design and construction). It goes after efficiencies, which are the low-hanging fruit here. Ergo: emissions reduction."
Reduction of oil imports is another key feature, striking at the worst culprit in the nation's trade deficit as well as a prime threat to its security. Whether the teeth are there to meet Lugar's goal of a 68 percent reduction by 2030 is a burning question. Half the job would be done via vehicle fuel efficiency -- for the most part, extending current federal standards but with various waiver options. When Lugar himself is pointing out that oil imports account for half the trade deficit, and twice the deficit with China, stronger measures may have to be in a final package.
China, incidentally, is racing ahead in the green energy business, in which Lugar likewise takes a carrot-rather-than-stick approach. He stresses incentives and state choice, rather than a national standard, for the share of the pie taken up by alternative fuels. Many states (not yet Indiana) already have set their own bars.
How much federal muscle is needed to augment state initiatives and market forces toward balanced energy usage remains to be decided. Lugar's bill will not constitute an energy policy, but it could help form a foundation for one by getting the most out of the politics that prevail.
BACKGROUND
Sen. Lugar to propose climate bill alternative
Wed, Jun 2 2010
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican in the Senate next week will propose energy and climate legislation that aims to cut emissions of planet-warming gases, but with far lower goals than President Barack Obama seeks.
Senator Richard Lugar, whose home state of Indiana relies heavily on dirty-burning coal to power electric utilities, is crafting legislation he says would achieve about half of the 17 percent cut from 2005 levels in carbon emissions by 2020 proposed by Obama.
At international negotiations on tackling global warming, many countries already are criticizing the United States, saying the 17 percent goal is too meek to be effective.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has said the country's carbon dioxide emissions, which represent about 80 percent of overall greenhouse gases, have already fallen more than 9 percent since 2005. The recession has played a role, along with heavier reliance on natural gas and more efficient use of fuels.
Lugar's legislation would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions through a mix of better fuel efficiency for vehicles, using more renewable fuels for those cars, making new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient and expanding nuclear power generation.
For heavy-polluting coal-fired power plants, they would be excused from investing in expensive scrubbers over the next few years and in return would voluntarily retire the plants in 2020.
Absent from Lugar's bill will be any new "cap and trade" system for carbon pollution permits, an idea that anchors climate change legislation passed nearly a year ago by the House of Representatives and included in a draft bill presented by senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman on May 12.
The pollution permits to be traded would put a price on carbon dioxide emissions. That price would rise over the next four decades so that utilities, factories and car companies would have incentives to switch to cleaner-burning fuels.
"Lugar's bill is a main alternative to the divisive cap-and-trade approach," said a press release announcing next week's bill introduction.
NEW URGENCY
Republicans and some Democrats fear that such a mandatory program for cutting carbon emissions would significantly raise consumer prices and result in job losses -- a conclusion challenged by some economic analyses.
In a speech at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Obama placed new urgency on the need for Congress to pass an energy and climate bill.
More specifically, Obama said "putting a price on carbon pollution" was necessary. "The votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months," he said about legislation that has been stuck in the Senate.
The BP oil spill plaguing the Gulf of Mexico has brought new calls from Obama and Kerry to pass legislation promptly.
But the spill, which has gone uncontrolled since April 20, also has hurt Senate prospects. While some Republicans want the climate bill to also expand offshore oil drilling, they know that the timing of such an initiative could not be worse.
As the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lugar has voiced fears that global warming could present a national security threat to the United States as drought in poor countries destabilizes governments.
Also next week, the Senate is set to vote June 10 on a move to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas pollution. The outcome of that vote could have a bearing on how the Senate approaches climate change legislation.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association. Tell us what you think about Sen. Lugar's energy plan.
Our Opinion--Indianapolis Star
Posted: June 5, 2010
There should be no doubt that the United States needs an energy and climate policy, just as there should be no expectation of a perfect law to that effect -- one that satisfies industry, environmentalists, consumers and legislators from states with varying fossil-fuel dependency.
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., seeks to address both realities with a bill to be introduced next week aimed at wooing colleagues whose support is lacking for the Democratic plan of the moment.
With polls showing weak popular regard for cap-and-trade, and with votes lacking from coal-state Democrats as well as Republicans, the Kerry-Lieberman bill appears permanently stalled. This, despite concessions to energy companies and coal-dependent states, made at the cost of alienating many environmental groups.
Lugar's bill will not please those who insist on tough immediate mandates for cutting emissions and raising the proportion of energy drawn from renewable sources. It does advance the discussion, however, by emphasizing conservation, nuclear power and the phase-out of aging coal-powered generating plants. It tends to subordinate long-term economies to existing jobs and utility rate restraint, but Lugar insists there's no ultimate conflict.
"It's more practical," says his spokesman, Andy Fisher. "It saves consumers money. It fixes the leaks (in building design and construction). It goes after efficiencies, which are the low-hanging fruit here. Ergo: emissions reduction."
Reduction of oil imports is another key feature, striking at the worst culprit in the nation's trade deficit as well as a prime threat to its security. Whether the teeth are there to meet Lugar's goal of a 68 percent reduction by 2030 is a burning question. Half the job would be done via vehicle fuel efficiency -- for the most part, extending current federal standards but with various waiver options. When Lugar himself is pointing out that oil imports account for half the trade deficit, and twice the deficit with China, stronger measures may have to be in a final package.
China, incidentally, is racing ahead in the green energy business, in which Lugar likewise takes a carrot-rather-than-stick approach. He stresses incentives and state choice, rather than a national standard, for the share of the pie taken up by alternative fuels. Many states (not yet Indiana) already have set their own bars.
How much federal muscle is needed to augment state initiatives and market forces toward balanced energy usage remains to be decided. Lugar's bill will not constitute an energy policy, but it could help form a foundation for one by getting the most out of the politics that prevail.
BACKGROUND
Sen. Lugar to propose climate bill alternative
Wed, Jun 2 2010
By Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior Republican in the Senate next week will propose energy and climate legislation that aims to cut emissions of planet-warming gases, but with far lower goals than President Barack Obama seeks.
Senator Richard Lugar, whose home state of Indiana relies heavily on dirty-burning coal to power electric utilities, is crafting legislation he says would achieve about half of the 17 percent cut from 2005 levels in carbon emissions by 2020 proposed by Obama.
At international negotiations on tackling global warming, many countries already are criticizing the United States, saying the 17 percent goal is too meek to be effective.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has said the country's carbon dioxide emissions, which represent about 80 percent of overall greenhouse gases, have already fallen more than 9 percent since 2005. The recession has played a role, along with heavier reliance on natural gas and more efficient use of fuels.
Lugar's legislation would cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions through a mix of better fuel efficiency for vehicles, using more renewable fuels for those cars, making new homes and commercial buildings more energy efficient and expanding nuclear power generation.
For heavy-polluting coal-fired power plants, they would be excused from investing in expensive scrubbers over the next few years and in return would voluntarily retire the plants in 2020.
Absent from Lugar's bill will be any new "cap and trade" system for carbon pollution permits, an idea that anchors climate change legislation passed nearly a year ago by the House of Representatives and included in a draft bill presented by senators John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman on May 12.
The pollution permits to be traded would put a price on carbon dioxide emissions. That price would rise over the next four decades so that utilities, factories and car companies would have incentives to switch to cleaner-burning fuels.
"Lugar's bill is a main alternative to the divisive cap-and-trade approach," said a press release announcing next week's bill introduction.
NEW URGENCY
Republicans and some Democrats fear that such a mandatory program for cutting carbon emissions would significantly raise consumer prices and result in job losses -- a conclusion challenged by some economic analyses.
In a speech at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Obama placed new urgency on the need for Congress to pass an energy and climate bill.
More specifically, Obama said "putting a price on carbon pollution" was necessary. "The votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months," he said about legislation that has been stuck in the Senate.
The BP oil spill plaguing the Gulf of Mexico has brought new calls from Obama and Kerry to pass legislation promptly.
But the spill, which has gone uncontrolled since April 20, also has hurt Senate prospects. While some Republicans want the climate bill to also expand offshore oil drilling, they know that the timing of such an initiative could not be worse.
As the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lugar has voiced fears that global warming could present a national security threat to the United States as drought in poor countries destabilizes governments.
Also next week, the Senate is set to vote June 10 on a move to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas pollution. The outcome of that vote could have a bearing on how the Senate approaches climate change legislation.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
This article brought to you by the Indiana Renewable Energy Association. Tell us what you think about Sen. Lugar's energy plan.
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