VCEDA Approves $80,000 Matching Grant for Buchanan IDA Small Vertical Wind Turbine Energy Recovery
SOUTHERN GAP, VA – OCTOBER 6, 2026 – An up to $80,000 matching grant from the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority (VCEDA) to be used to finance a feasibility and economic impact study and pilot test of manufacturing Small Vertical Wind Turbine Energy Recovery Systems in Buchanan County, VA, was closed recently with the Buchanan County Industrial Development Authority.
“The Buchanan County IDA is interested in determining the feasibility and economic impact of manufacturing an innovative new renewable energy product known as a Small Vertical Wind Turbine Energy Recovery System and approached VCEDA for match funding for the project,” said VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher. “The project supports VCEDA’s economic diversification mission by enabling new clean-technology manufacturing opportunities, job creation and innovation-driven economic development in Central Appalachia. We look forward to learning the results of that study.”
The IDA is partnering with Emendare R&D, a non-profit research organization headquartered in Buchanan County, which will conduct the research on recovering waste exhaust-air energy from industrial, commercial and institutional ventilation systems.
The research will also evaluate the feasibility of establishing a manufacturing operation in Southwest Virginia, according to the application for funding filed by the IDA.
Expected outcomes of the research include a fully tested prototype, validated performance data, feasibility reports and a comprehensive economic impact analysis supporting potential regional manufacturing. A 12-month timeline is estimated to complete the study.
The IDA is providing 20 percent ($20,000) of the project cost as matching funds and requested the remaining $80,000 as a grant from VCEDA.
According to the application, one full-time and four part-time jobs are expected to be created within the first year and four to 10 full-time and/or part-time jobs within five years, depending on if manufacturing begins with the project after the first year. The study will also make projections related to the total impact of potential manufacturing in the next decade.
“The wind turbine study and pilot test is a great opportunity for our county to enhance our economic possibilities with a new technology that can create new jobs and deliver an environmental benefit as well,” said Buchanan County Economic Development Director Jeremy Ward. “We look forward to the study and results with great optimism for future manufacturing.”
About Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority and Southwest Virginia’s e-Region: The Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, created by the Virginia General Assembly in 1988 to enhance and diversify the region’s economy and help create jobs, markets Southwest Virginia’s e-Region and its focus on electronic information technology, energy, education, emerging technologies, and entrepreneurship. VCEDA is a unique economic development organization that manages funds for economic development projects from a percentage of the coal and natural gas severance taxes paid by coal and natural gas companies that operate in the region. Located in southwestern Virginia, the region includes Buchanan, Dickenson, Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Wise counties and the City of Norton. www.vceda.us or www.e-Region.org.
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PHOTO CAPTION: VCEDA Executive Director/General Counsel Jonathan Belcher, right, presents a ceremonial check for $80,000 to Buchanan County Administrator Craig Horn, center, for the Buchanan County IDA to be used for a small vertical wind turbine energy recovery system study the IDA is undertaking in partnership with Emendare R&D. Also pictured, left, is Emendare R&D Board Member Billie Campbell.