Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) will be installing generators to produce electricity from methane gas released when waste breaks down at two Upstate locations thanks to a federal renewable energy grant awarded by the S.C. Budget and Control Board’s State Energy Office.

The grant is one of two Upstate renewable energy projects funded by the Energy Office and is part of $2.8 million awarded to nine non-profit organizations and government entities in South Carolina.

Furman University was awarded $340,000 to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roof of the Physical Activities Center which will provide electricity to the campus. The system will include 304 PV modules as well as an energy metering system to monitor the energy produced in real-time. This project will help the university save more than $487,000 over the life of the project.

Renewable Water Resources (ReWa) was awarded $500,000 to install new generators at the Mauldin Road Waste Water Treatment Plant and at the Pelham Road Waste Water Treatment Plant. In addition to the new co-generators, the facilities’ equipment will also be upgraded. The renewable energy that ReWa produces will be sold to Duke Energy to provide power in the Upstate. This project will save more than $3.8 million over the life of the equipment.

“As both organizations work to increase their creation of renewable energy sources, they will be reducing the amount of fossil fuels they require to operate,” said John Clark, director of the energy office. 

Other South Carolina projects funded through this program are:

• $500,000 to Claflin University to install the first solar adsorption cooling system on its campus that uses solar power to create hot water and then cool water to provide a portion of its heating and cooling needs for the Bio-Energy Park and Research Campus.
• $500,000 to Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. to install 70 solar water heating systems in homes of members of York, Berkeley, Santee and Pee Dee Electric Cooperatives.
• $475,000 to Santee Cooper to install solar panels on the roof of its buildings in Myrtle Beach, creating the “Grand Strand Solar Station,” the largest solar system in the state.
• $240,000 to Plug In Carolina to install 28 electric vehicle charging stations in Union, Rock Hill and Myrtle Beach.
• $111,500 to the St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center on Johns Island, S.C. to install 17 solar hot water systems on 15 housing structures and conference center.
• $100,906 to The Columbia Museum of Art to install solar panels on the roof of its building and to create a monitoring system where patrons will be able to view the amount of power created.
• $49,594 to York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) to convert seven Ford F-150 light duty trucks to utilize compressed natural gas.

The nine grants will save a total of $7.7 million in energy costs over the life of the projects. Applicants are contributing a total of $3.6 million in cost-share for the projects, or a match of $1.31 for every $1 invested by the grant.

In order to be considered for these grants, projects had to foster market penetration of clean energy technologies, provide sustained reduction of fossil fuel consumption and create permanent jobs in South Carolina. Organizations must implement the projects within two years of receiving the award.

These projects are funded through a grant from the Department of Energy under Award Number(s) DE-EE0000158.