The U.S. Department of Agriculture is announcing $145 million in funding for 700 loan and grant awards through the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments to reduce energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen the resiliency of their operations. Energy technologies eligible for the loan and grant awards include wind, solar, renewable biomass, ocean, geothermal, hydroelectric, and green hydrogen. Tony Jimenez, a researcher at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory said projects that combine solar and storage are also eligible for funding.
Jiminez said certain types of locations and businesses are best for a solar/storage project.
Jiminez offered tips for drafting a proposal for a solar and storage project.
Agricultural producers and rural small business owners who want to learn more about renewable energy concepts can visit the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Energy Basics page at www.nrel.gov/research/learning.html.
Anyone interested in applying for USDA’s REAP funding is encouraged to contact their local USDA State Energy Coordinators for more information. Interested applicants can also visit rd.usda.gov. Enter Rural Energy for America (REAP) in the search box. Remaining application windows in 2024 end on June 30 and September 30.
