Projects Will Support Climate-Smart Solutions to Lower Energy Costs in 48 States
and Puerto Rico - $78K to Rural Virginia
WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Department is investing $464 million to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and to help rural communities, agricultural producers and businesses lower energy costs in 48 states and Puerto Rico.
“USDA continues to prioritize climate-smart infrastructure to help rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before,” Vilsack said. “We recognize that lowering energy costs for small businesses and agricultural producers helps to expand economic development and employment opportunities for people in America’s rural towns and communities. The investments we are announcing today demonstrate how the Biden-Harris Administration has put rural communities at the heart of climate action and climate-smart solutions.”
USDA is financing $129 million of these investments through the Rural Energy for America Program. This program provides funding to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. These climate-smart investments will conserve and generate more than 379 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in rural America, which equates to enough electricity to power 35,677 homes per year.
USDA is financing $335 million of these investments through the Electric Loan Program. The loans will help build or improve 1,432 miles of line to strengthen reliability in rural areas. The loans include $102 million for investments in smart grid technology, which uses digital communications to detect and react to local changes in electricity usage.
The department is announcing investments today in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
Acting State Director, Terry Rosta, is pleased to announce a total of $78,922 in Rural Energy for America Program grants for the following five Virginia projects:
• T. Greer and Associates will receive a grant of $13,422 that will used to purchase and install a 19.175-kilowatt roof photovoltaic system consisting of (59) 325-watt solar panels in the City of Charlottesville, Virginia. It is estimated to generate 22,023 kilowatt hours annually which is approximately 113 percent of its electric usage. The grantee is a general contractor who builds single family homes in and around Charlottesville.
• Quercus Rubra Incorporated in Floyd County will receive a $5,500 grant to purchase and install a 6.4-kilowatt photovoltaic ground mounted system consisting of 16,400-watt solar panels. Parcel is 14.95-acre lot with a 432 square foot building. This business sells wood pulp to companies to make paper products and will offset its electric usage by approximately 108 percent by generating about 8,492 kilowatt hours annually. Its simple payback is about 28 years. The solar replaces fossil fuels, improves air quality, eliminates greenhouse emissions, and relieves power companies at peak demand.
• Philip C. Martin dba Sunnyside Up Farm will receive a $20,000 grant that will be used to install a 52-kilowatt roof mounted photovoltaic system, which consists of one hundred thirty 400-watt solar modules, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, demand on power plants, and energy production costs. The solar modules will be installed on a 13,272 square foot poultry house and will offset about 98 percent of its energy usage; this is almost equivalent to powering 1.7 single family homes annually. The property consists of 44 agricultural acres and 1-acre residential use. This family-owned farm is doing business as Sunnyside Up Farm.
• Golden Horseshoe Health Services Incorporated in Greene County will receive a $20,000 grant that will be used to purchase and install a 47.125-kilowatt roof mounted photovoltaic system consisting of (145) 325-watt solar panels. The solar is estimated to generate 48,000 kilowatt hours of electricity for the 1.4-acre property with a drug store/pharmacy in Greene County. This will offset its electric usage by approximately 82 percent, which will replace fossil fuels, improve air quality, eliminate greenhouse emissions, and relieve power companies at peak demand.
• In the City of Covington, David Wheeler, DDS PC will receive a $20,000 grant that will be used to purchase and install a 17.6-kilowatt roof mounted photovoltaic system consisting of forty-four, 400-watt solar panels. Electric usage will be offset by approximately 77 percent from an estimate solar generation of 19,928 kilowatt hours per year, which could power about 2.5 single family homes annually. The solar replaces fossil fuels, improves air quality, eliminates greenhouse emissions, and relieves power companies at peak demand. Simple payback is about 18 years.
To learn more about these and other resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety, and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal, and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.