Mainspring Energy co-founders, CCO Adam Simpson, CTO Matt Svrcek, and CEO Shannon Miller, with a Mainspring Linear Generator. (Photo: Mainspring Energy/PRNewswire)
The company was awarded an $87 million grant by the U.S. DoE to support its expansion of clean tech manufacturing in Allegheny County.
MENLO PARK, Calif.—Power generator manufacturer Mainspring Energy reported that it was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains for an award of $87 million under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Advanced Energy Manufacturing & Recycling Grants Program. The selection will support the expansion of Mainspring’s U.S. clean-tech manufacturing in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, the company said in a release.
Mainspring Energy is a manufacturer of fuel-flexible, onsite power generators. Founded in 2010 in Menlo Park by three Stanford University engineers, Mainspring began shipping its products in 2020 to U.S. customers, including leading utilities and Fortune 500 companies.
The company’s state-of-the-art facility will produce Mainspring Energy’s innovative, low-emissions Linear Generators with a reported capacity of up to 1,000 Linear Generators annually. That is the power equivalent needed to meet the electricity needs of up to a quarter of a million U.S. homes, according to the release.
The nearly 300,000-square-foot facility will be built adjacent to the Pittsburgh International Airport in Findlay Township. The construction of the building is expected to create nearly 300 jobs, and once operating, the facility will employ more than 600 women and men. Mainspring will recruit and train this new workforce in the manufacturing and production of Linear Generators, the release stated.
“Mainspring is honored to be selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for this critical manufacturing grant, which will provide domestic supply chain resilience for clean power infrastructure,” said Mainspring CEO and Founder Shannon Miller, in the release. “By ramping up production of linear generators in Pennsylvania, Mainspring can contribute a key role in the nation’s energy transition with a proven and versatile technology for dispatchable power. Once completed, this facility will employ hundreds of Pennsylvanians and help to accelerate Mainspring’s growth as a leader in American clean energy innovation.”
The total investment in Southwestern Pennsylvania, including building and equipment, will exceed $175 million. The facility, located near Pittsburgh in a coal-affected region, will employ people in metalwork, machining, and production. Mainspring stated that it expects to break ground in 2025.
“The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, in the release. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”
Linear generators are reported to represent an advanced new category of power generation. They use a flameless reaction with near-zero NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions using any gaseous fuel. The product can switch from one fuel to another seamlessly without hardware changes. Designed to support utilities, data centers, microgrids, commercial and industrial use, and more, Mainspring Linear Generators are described as “a critical component of the broader effort to transition to a carbon-pollution-free electricity sector by 2035.”
Fundamentally distinct from an engine or a fuel cell, Mainspring’s Linear Generator is said to have the unique ability to directly run on and dynamically switch between any gaseous fuel without retrofit. The Linear Generator is fully dispatchable and scalable from 250 kW to 100+MW. It delivers on “the potential of green hydrogen, ammonia, and biogas, as well as traditional fuels such as natural gas and propane, by generating low-cost, clean, resilient electricity,” the release stated.
As part of its community benefits plan, Mainspring stated that it is committed to recruiting at least 20 percent of its new employees from underrepresented communities. The company will offer at least 25 percent of non-production contracting opportunities to minority or underrepresented-population owned businesses. It will also support more than 20 apprentices, according to the release.
The proposed Mainspring manufacturing facility received broad bipartisan support from Pennsylvania Congressmen Guy Reschenthaler, Chris Deluzio, and Mike Kelly, as well as Senators Bob Casey, Jr., and John Fetterman. The project also has the support of a bipartisan group of state legislators.