Vandergrift-area, Pittsburgh companies get millions in federal funding for clean energy expansion

Two companies in Southwestern Pennsylvania will get millions of dollars in federal funding to expand the manufacturing of clean energy technologies in the region.

In Parks Township, Colorado- based Alpen High Performance will partner with Kensington HPP to retrofit KHPP’s facility on Industrial Park Road to make high-performance, energy-­efficient glass for windows.

Downtown Pittsburgh-based CorePower Magnetics Inc. Plans to build a plant in the region that will produce transformers and motors for the electric grid and electric vehicles.

The two companies are among seven projects that received a total of $275 million to strengthen clean energy supply chains in nine former coal communities across the country.

The companies aim to create nearly 1,500 jobs through these projects, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

“The portfolio of projects will address critical clean energy supply chain vulnerabilities by supporting key materials and components for energy storage for grid and transportation uses, wind energy and energy-efficient solutions for buildings,” the energy department said Tuesday. “In addition to co-location with energy communities, the majority of selected projects will be in or adjacent to disadvantaged communities.”

The funding is possible through the Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, aimed at targeting communities that have been affected by the closure of fossil fuel-based infrastructure — things like coal-fired power plants or coal mines.

The Vandergrift-area project

Alpen has collaborated with Parks Township-based Kensington HPP several times over the years, and “we’re big fans of the company,” said Brad Begin, CEO of Alpen. The company will receive $5.8 million from the Department of Energy, with the remaining half coming from private investment.

“Our hope is that this partnership will lead to bigger and better things,” Begin said.

He said the glass production equipment the company is developing will “for the first time produce triple-pane or quad-pane windows using ultra-thin glass as the center layer of the windows.”

Think of the glass on your smartphone or flat-screen TV.

Alpen will add the first production line to its Colorado plant and a second to Kensington’s plant in Parks Township, Armstrong County.

Noting that the funding is meant to revitalize areas that have been affected by the downswing of coal, Begin said Alpen is “excited to reinvest in communities that have been impacted by that.”

In Louisville, Colo., Begin said Alpen has grown quickly over the past four years as high-performance energy codes for buildings have gone into effect, driving demand for its product.

“We’ve added almost 100 employees in the last four years alone,” Begin said, adding he expects the new capacity will increase production by five times.

“This will be quantum leaps of throughput capacity,” Begin said. “For most window companies, (it’s) a critical element to our ability to sell more windows and our ability to produce more glass, particularly when we’re producing higher-performance glass that’s not part of the mainstream.”

Begin said this is an exciting moment for the industry — and for Alpen and Kensington.

“This creates an exciting opportunity for both companies to showcase our high-performance windows with cutting-edge technology that will create competitive advantages for both companies, but also illustrate what can be done for the broader U.S. market.

“Without this sort of matching grant. I don’t think either company would probably be able to … make these quantum leaps in technological capacity,” Begin said. “We’re getting a helping hand to accelerate our growth in both markets and create good-paying opportunities.”

The Pittsburgh-based project

CorePower Magnetics Inc. is considering locations to build a manufacturing plant for transformers and motors for grid and electric vehicle applications. It received $20 million in federal funding. The remaining half will come from private investment.

The company specializes in specialty alloys that can reduce the weight and improve the efficiency of these components.

CorePower says it doesn’t require rare earth metals for its products.

“The facility will be fully integrated to go from melting metal through producing these components,” CEO Sam Kernion said. “We’re excited about putting this in the Pittsburgh area.”

CorePower was founded in 2020.

“With everything we’re doing to support the grid and electric vehicles — helping EVs to go farther and charge faster, and helping renewables integrate with the grid — with all the momentum toward these types of technologies, that was the impetus to get the company started.”

The plant is expected to contain an advanced metals casting line to mass-produce alloys, in addition to production lines for motors and high-frequency transformers and inductors.

“By repurposing legacy infrastructure in Pittsburgh, we can leverage existing assets to drive innovation and the local economy,” said Paul Ohodnicki, chief technology officer of CorePower Magnetics. “This support from the DOE will be transformational as we work to meet surging demand for U.S.-made technologies enabling vehicle electrification and modernized power grids.”

The facility is projected to create 25 to 50 jobs.