Clean Economy Works August 2023 | 18 New Projects Announced

FOCUS: It’s almost harvest time (for electric tractors)

 

Companies in business for nearly two centuries are as dependable as they are shrewd. They anticipate customers’ needs, innovate, and deliver. And they do this again and again and again.

That’s why John Deere’s Aug. 14 announcement that it’s building a plant to produce more batteries and chargers is noteworthy – it’s the latest sign that America’s economy is rapidly electrifying, from the farmer’s field on up. 

Deere’s was one of 18 major clean economy announcements that companies made across the country last month, amounting to 9,529 new jobs and more than $6 billion in investments. All told, since the Inflation Reduction Act was announced just over a year ago, E2 has tracked 223 projects across more than three-dozen states amounting to about 75,000 jobs and $88 billion in investments.

A welder at John Deere’s plant in Kernersville, N.C. The iconic manufacturer announced in August it will expand its operations there to make batteries and chargers. (Photo courtesy of John Deere)

Deere’s new 115,000 square-foot plant will be in Kernersville, N.C., adjacent to another the company has operated since 1988. The facility is expected to help Deere, founded in 1837, produce more than 20 electric and hybrid electric models for the construction market by 2026, including excavators, forklifts and wheel loaders. It could also help roll out an autonomous, battery-powered electric utility tractor for the agricultural market, also by 2026.

 “[W]e are prioritizing the development of a robust charging ecosystem and battery portfolio that can support and sustain the long-term adoption of electrification across a wide variety of applications,” said Pierre Guyot, SVP of John Deere Power Systems and Chairman of Kreisel, an Austrian battery company in which Deere acquired a majority stake last year.

The $69 million Deere project is expected to create about 50 jobs in North Carolina, with an average annual pay of more than $60,000. Occupations include assemblers, material handlers, packagers and quality inspectors.

The announcement was part of another big month for EV projects in the South. Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee each had at least one major EV project announcement. There were also billion-dollar solar manufacturing announcements in both Louisiana and New Mexico; grid announcements in Waukesha, Wisc., and Nacogdoches, Texas; and Singapore-based Bila Solar said it’s investing $35 million to repurpose an old Eli Lilly factory in Indianapolis, where Bila will also establish its new U.S. headquarters, creating some 240 new jobs.

OPPORTUNITIES

Biden-Harris administration announces $30 million to build up domestic supply chain for critical minerals

The Energy Department announced up to $30 million to help lower the costs of the onshore production of rare earths and other critical minerals and materials from domestic coal-based resources, including coal, coal waste and associated by-products. Rare earths and other critical minerals are key to U.S. manufacturing of clean energy technologies – such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells. Extracting these materials creates good-paying jobs in communities that have historically produced fuels and electric power from fossil energy resources, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to revitalize energy communities. Read more.

 Biden-Harris administration announces $100 million to transform climate pollution into sustainable products

The Energy Department is making $100 million available to support states, local governments and public utilities in purchasing products derived from converted carbon emissions. The goal is to speed up adoption of advanced carbon management technologies, creating a market for environmentally sustainable alternatives in fuels, chemicals and building products sourced from captured emissions from industrial and power generation facilities. Read more. 

DOE announces $46 million to boost energy efficiency and slash emissions from buildings

DOE’s Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies (BENEFIT) funding opportunity will provide $46 million to 29 projects across 15 states. The funding will support building technologies and retrofit practices that will create healthier households and communities and reduce energy waste. Read more.

Department of Energy announces up to $4.7 million for manufacturing cybersecurity innovation

The U.S. Department of Energy announced a new request for proposals (RFP) for up to $4.7 million to enhance cybersecurity within American manufacturing. This RFP, which will focus on energy efficient cybersecure manufacturing, is soliciting projects within three industrial use cases – industrial control systems, secure industrial digitization and industrial additive manufacturing. Read more.

TOTAL PROJECTS BY STATE

Alabama (5)

Arizona (8)

Arkansas (2)

California (10)

Colorado (7)

Connecticut (4)

Florida (2)

Georgia (21)

Illinois (4)

Indiana (7)

Iowa (2)

Kansas (1)

Kentucky (5)

Louisiana (4)

Maine (1)

Maryland (1)

Massachusetts (6)

Michigan (18)

Minnesota (3)

Mississippi (2)

Missouri (1)

Nevada (6)

New Hampshire (1)

New Mexico (3)

New York (10)

North Carolina (10)

Ohio (13)

Oklahoma (4)

Oregon (1)

Pennsylvania (2)

Puerto Rico (1)

South Carolina (18)

Tennessee (13)

Texas (14)

Utah (1)

Vermont (1)

Virginia (2)

West Virginia (2)

Wisconsin (6)