At its March 5 meeting, City Council approved a $36,000 Tomball Economic Development Corporation grant for Ameresco Solar. The grant will go toward new employees and the acquisition of an additional 6,130 square feet of lease space within Live Oak Business Park for the renewable energy company.

"They added on a new product line and so they needed additional square footage and a grant for additional employees," TEDC executive director Kelly Violette said.

As part of the agreement, Ameresco will be hiring 12 more employees in 2012, both locally and globally, with at least half assigned to the Tomball location. The company has 25 employees now.

In May 2008, the TEDC gave Ameresco Solar a $75,000 grant to relocate from 212 E. Main St. to an 18,000-square-foot lease space in the Live Oak Business Park at 202 S. Live Oak in Tomball. The grant was based on the retention of 20 existing jobs and the creation of five new jobs.