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HELENA - The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has awarded $1 million in grants to be used for projects that will further the development and marketability of renewable energy technologies in the state.

"Montana is rich in alternative energy potential." said DEQ Director Richard Opper. "The grants make it possible to move these projects from planning into production."

The four grant applications scored highest among the 15 that were submitted in a highly competitive process according to Brian Spangler, Renewable Energy Section Manager at the DEQ.

"All of the applicants showed promise." he said. "The major goal of these grants was to advance the commercialization of these technologies in Montana and these four really stood out in that regard."

Two of the recipients are in Western Montana. CORE Wind Power was awarded $500,000 to develop a 3-megawatt direct-drive wind turbine to be built in Ronan.

Algae Aqua Culture Technologies (AACT) was awarded $350,000 to develop a commercial-scale algae greenhouse that will convert waste wood chips into an organic fertilizer near Columbia Falls.