USDA invests $63M in 264 renewable energy, efficiency projects

August 11, 2015

BY USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $63 million in loans and grants this month for 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide that USDA is supporting through its Rural Energy for America Program.

“This funding will have far-reaching economic and environmental impacts nationwide, particularly in rural communities,” Vilsack said. “Investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects supports home-grown energy sources, creates jobs, reduces greenhouse gas pollution and helps usher in a more secure energy future for the nation.”

These REAP projects are expected to generate and/or save 207.8 million kilowatt hours (KWh) of energy—enough to power more than 13,600 homes for a year.

Lakeview Biodiesel LLC will use a $3.3 million loan guarantee to help acquire a Missouri biodiesel plant and make improvements to bring it online to produce enough biodiesel to run approximately 16,500 vehicles annually.

Bradley Phillips, owner of A.B. Phillips & Sons Fruit Farm, is receiving an $18,000 grant to install a photovoltaic solar system on his farm in the village of Berlin Heights, Ohio. The system will generate nearly 13,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. Phillips grows apples, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, cherries and grapes on a farm that has been in his family for more than a century.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Blue Sky Poultry Inc., of Bainbridge, Georgia, has been selected for a $16,094 grant to install a solar array on the roof of the poultry houses. The array is expected to generate 36,300 kWh of electricity per year.

Stokes Farms LLP, of Chatfield, Minnesota, is receiving a $19,750 grant to install a 10 kW wind turbine. When operational, the project is expected to generate 30,000 kWh of electricity per year.

In North Carolina, South Winston Farm LLC is receiving a $4 million loan guarantee to finance a 7 megawatt solar array system that is expected to generate enough energy to power 994 households per year.

Funding for the projects announced Aug. 7 is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of the grant or loan agreement.

Here are two examples of how REAP has helped rural businesses:

Advertisement

Advertisement

In 2014, Mt. Abram, a ski area in western Maine, finished installing an 803-panel solar photovoltaic system that was financed with a $235,000 REAP grant. Mt. Abram is the first solar-powered ski area in the state and the second-largest solar-powered ski area in the country. The solar array will generate 280,000 kWh in energy each year and meet about 70 percent of the resort's power needs.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Progress Solar in North Carolina in September 2014 to highlight a $3.4 million REAP loan guarantee the company received to install a solar array. Today, the 46-acre farm produces enough solar energy to power 540 average-sized homes each year.

Eligible agricultural producers and rural small businesses may use REAP funds to make energy efficiency improvements or install renewable energy systems, including solar, wind, renewable biomass (including anaerobic digesters), small hydroelectric, ocean energy, hydrogen, and geothermal.

The next application deadline for REAP grants is Nov. 2. USDA will issue a notice of available funding with more details on how to apply in the coming weeks. REAP was created by the 2008 Farm Bill and was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

To view the full list of recipients in this latest round of funding, click here.

 

Related Stories

The U.S. EPA on Aug. 21 released data indicating nearly 2.04 billion RINs were generated under the RFS in August, up from 1.84 billion generated in August 2022. Total RIN generation for the first eight months of the year reached nearly 15.45 billion.

Read More

WestJet Group CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech, on Sept. 19 at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary, addressed the airline's ambitions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 and the vital role SAF plays in the future of decarbonizing aviation.

Read More

Clean Fuels Alliance America, American Soybean Association, National Oilseed Processors Association the U.S. Canola Association are urging the Biden administration to adopt GREET for the purposes measuring GHG reductions for the SAF tax credit.

Read More

Montana Renewables LLC, a subsidiary of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP, on Sept. 18 hosted an event to celebrate the first receipts of camelina oil into its biorefinery in Great Falls, Montana. The facility produces renewable diesel and SAF.

Read More

President Joe Biden on Sept. 9 joined leaders of India, Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates to launch the Global Biofuels Alliance. The launch took place on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

Read More

Upcoming Events

Sign up for our e-newsletter!

Advertisement

Advertisement