Grants Will Help Bring New Green Technologies to Market, Creating Jobs, Launching Businesses
Philadelphia, June 11, 2010- The City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, in partnership with the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA are launching an innovative new pilot program designed to help Philadelphia companies with cutting edge energy efficiency technologies develop a market for their products. The Greenworks Pilot Energy Technology (G-PET) Program offers grants to Philadelphia companies to accelerate the introduction of their new, energy efficient products and services to the marketplace. G-PET is being funded with $430,000 of federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to the City of Philadelphia.
“In a research hub like Philadelphia, helping to find ways to turn ideas into companies is the best thing we can do to create jobs and boost our economy,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “The future of green technology is the future of the green economy we’re all so excited about.”
“Greentech is a new field and it’s important that the City partner with its most innovative companies to help develop it,” said Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Alan Greenberger. “We’re conducting experiments like this one to help lay the groundwork for the growth of an industry over the next many years.”
As an integral part of the Greenworks Plan, G-PET will support the Mayor’s goals of reducing citywide building energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as growing the number of green jobs. Qualifying products or services must be able to verify energy efficiencies and be at installation-ready stage.
G-PET will fund all or part of pilot installations of qualifying products or services for projects located in Philadelphia, with a preference for projects that have significant job creation potential, are able to demonstrate additional project funding, and for those that are located at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where the Nutter administration and its partners in the private sector and academia have established the Navy Yard Clean Energy Campus as a regional and national center for research, education, and commercialization of green technologies.
The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania will identify Philadelphia companies and evaluate proposals from companies for grant funding. The Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) will determine successful applicants, who will be awarded grants in the range of $50,000-$150,000. The deadline for applications is July 31st, 2010. More information on G-PET and an online application form is available at: http://www.sep-energy.org/gpet/gpet.htm
City of Philadelphia contact:
Aviva Kievsky
Senior Press Aide
Office of Mayor Nutter
(215) 686-6210
(215) 686-2170- fax
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA contact:
Jaron J. Rhodes
Manager, Marketing and Communications
(215) 972-6700, ext. 3214
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