Treasury Awards Second Round of Recovery Act Grants; +$1 Billion Out Since August

Clean-Energy Grants: Iberdrola Wins Big, Again

By Keith Johnson September 22, 2009, 12:50 PM ET

When it comes to clean-energy grants from the U.S. government, it’s déjà vu all over again.
That is, Spain’s Iberdrola was again the big winner in the second round of government grants for wind farms: Iberdrola scooped up $251 million of the $550 million awarded today. The grants cover three Iberdrola wind farms in Iowa, Texas, and Missouri.
The cash-in-hand grants are an alternative way for the government to subsidize clean energy after the implosion of the tax-equity market last year. Iberdrola was also the biggest winner in the first round of the grants, announced earlier this month. So far, Iberdrola’s U.S. wind farms have snared $545 million in grants.
Germany’s E.On took home the biggest single prize, a $121 million grant for the Pyron Wind Farm in Texas, underscoring the role that European wind developers have in the U.S. wind-power market.
But do the grants amount to a bailout of foreign energy companies? Duke University figures the growth of wind power in the U.S., even if spearheaded by Europeans, will in fact help restore manufacturing jobs for U.S. companies. (Here’s the study.)
That’s because much of the value chain in wind power is suited to U.S. firms. The Duke study found that every 100 megawatts of wind power that are installed–a pretty typical-sized wind farm–creates 387 total jobs, including 310 in manufacturing.
“Every time a wind power project is installed it creates jobs, not only in the manufacturing sector, but also for structural engineers, surveyors, mechanics, sheet metal workers, machinists, truck drivers, construction equipment operators and wind turbine operators,” said Duke professor and study co-author Gary Gereffi.

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FROM THE DOE: The following is a chart of the 25 projects that qualified for awards as part of today's announcement.

STATE	PROJECT/SUBSIDIARY	LOCATION	AMOUNT
CA	Bob's Big Boy LLC	Burbank, CA	$53,648
CA	Ameresco Half Moon Bay LLC	Half Moon Bay, CA	$6,641,747
CA	Ameresco Keller Canyon LLC	Pittsburgh, CA	$2,796,377
CA	BioFuel Oasis Cooperative, Inc	Berkely, CA	$16,858
CO	5135 Company	Denver, CO	$23,130
FL	Conditioned Air Corporation of Naples	Naples, FL	$50,250
HI	Two Daughters	Kihei, HI	$15,150
IA	Barton Wind Farm	Kinsett, IA	$93,419,883
MN	BI	Minneapolis, MN	$25,649
MN	Spruce Tree Centre	St. Paul, MN	$107,764
MO	Farmers City Wind Farm	Tarkio, MO	$84,959,857
MO	Ameresco Jefferson City LLC	Jefferson City, MO	$2,300,244
NC	Solar Billboard Property	Bolivia, NC	$5,850
NJ	Meadowlands Exposition Center	Secaucus, NJ	$767,937
NJ	EHT Leasing LLC	Egg Harbor Township	$118,560
NJ	OC Kearny	Kearny, NJ	$992,006
NV	Enel Salt Wells, LLC	Fallon, NV	$21,196,478
NV	Enel Stillwater, LLC	Fallon, NV	$40,324,394
NY	OP 110 E. 59th St. CHP	New York, NY	$415,774
SD	Impervious Energy Systems, LLC	Whitewood, SD	$31,511
TX	Barton Chapel Wind Farm	Jacksboro, TX	$72,573,627
TX	Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, Inc.	Santa Rosa, TX	$10,232,261
TX	Bull Creek Wind LLC	O'Donnell, TX	$91,390,497
TX	Pyron Wind Farm, LLC	Roscoe, TX	$121,903,306
VT	Wheeler Brook Apartments	Warren, VT	$19,155
			$550,381,913