Developing Cleantech Clusters in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Southwestern Pennsylvania is positioned to diversify its economy by establishing cleantech clusters, specifically in battery manufacturing, solar components, and green buildings, by utilizing its legacy in steel, glass, and robotics. While the region has existing strengths and some active companies, it requires better coordination through a dedicated cleantech cluster initiative and targeted workforce development in specialized engineering roles to compete with other regions and attract investment.

• Southwestern Pennsylvania has high potential to develop cleantech clusters in three specific sectors: battery manufacturing, solar component manufacturing, and green buildings, which could help the region overcome economic challenges following the decline of the steel industry.
• The region is well-suited for battery manufacturing due to existing innovation and workforce skills, exemplified by Eos Energy Enterprises' $300 million Department of Energy loan for zinc-based batteries and SeaLion Energy's battery regeneration technology.
• Southwestern Pennsylvania's history of steel, aluminum, and glass production makes it a strong candidate for solar component manufacturing; for example, Vitro Architectural Glass produces flat glass for First Solar in Meadville, and JM Steel has produced trackers for NEXTracker since 2022.
• The region can leverage its robotics and manufacturing expertise for green buildings and advanced materials, supported by entities like Module's Last Mile Facility in Pittsburgh and the state's RISE PA program, which provides $396 million in grants for industrial facility projects.
• To attract investment and compete with other states, the region needs a dedicated cleantech cluster initiative to improve coordination and address workforce gaps in semiconductor processing and computer hardware and electronics engineering.

APA

RMI (2025). Developing Cleantech Clusters in Southwestern Pennsylvania. https://rmi.org/resources/developing-cleantech-clusters-in-southwestern-pennsylvania/

Chicago

RMI. Developing Cleantech Clusters in Southwestern Pennsylvania. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/developing-cleantech-clusters-in-southwestern-pennsylvania/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Developing Cleantech Clusters in Southwestern Pennsylvania |date=21 July 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/developing-cleantech-clusters-in-southwestern-pennsylvania/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025developing, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Developing Cleantech Clusters in Southwestern Pennsylvania}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/developing-cleantech-clusters-in-southwestern-pennsylvania/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }