Rural Energy for America Program - Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Loan and Grant Program – Technology

Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvement Grants must be used towards the project cost for the purchase, installation and construction of renewable energy generation systems.

Eligible technologies under the program are divided into two categories:

1.) Renewable Energy Projects

• Biomass, bio-energy: produces fuel (e.g., biodiesel, ethanol), thermal energy, or electric power from a biomass source (crops, trees, wood, plants, their residues and fats, oils, and greases, and other biodegradable waste material)
• Biomass, anaerobic digesters: produces thermal energy or electric power via anaerobic digestion using animal waste & other organic substrates
• Geothermal, electric generation: electric power from the thermal potential of a geothermal source
• Geothermal, direct use: produces thermal energy directly from a geothermal source
• Hydrogen: renewable energy systems using hydrogen as an energy transport medium
• Solar, small: electric projects with rated power ≤ 10 kW; thermal projects with rated storage ≤ 240 gallons
• Solar, large: electric projects with rated power >10 kW; thermal projects with rated storage >240 gallons
• Wind, small: systems with a ≤ 100 kW-rated wind turbine & with a generator hub height of ≤ 120 feet
• Wind, large: systems with a >100 kW-rated wind turbine
• Hydroelectric: electric power from small hydro projects of 30 MW or less
• Ocean: energy generation from tidal, wave, current, and thermal sources – but not for R&D technologies
• Flexible Fuel Pump: a retail pump that combines and dispenses a blended liquid transportation fuel or dispenses a blended liquid transportation fuel
  
  

2.) Energy Efficiency Improvements Projects include any energy savings measures to businesses or agricultural operations including but not limited to replacement of inefficient equipment, retrofitting, insulation or any recommended improvement identified in the energy assessment or energy audit.