RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 22, 2024 – Three Virginia solar projects are included in a $157 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investment in 42 states to lower energy bills, generate new income, create jobs, and strengthen competition for U.S. farmers, ranchers and businesses.
The following enterprises are receiving $402,060 in total funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which provides grants and loans to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners expand their use of wind, solar and other forms of clean energy and make energy efficiency improvements:
- Oakmulgee Dairy Farm, Inc., in Amelia County will install a ground mount solar array that will power robotic milkers, ventilation fans, manure scrapers and pumps, well pumps, a ventilation curtain, lighting, milk cooling equipment, air compressors, hot water heaters, and feed augers/pushers. The 388 solar panels and inverters will help the family-owned dairy offset energy usage on the leased 485-acre parcel and generate an equivalent amount of electricity to that needed to power 24 single family homes.
- Crown Orchard Company will install a ground mounted photovoltaic system in Campbell County that will generate enough energy to power about 17 single family homes. (This is the second REAP grant for the Albemarle-based operation, which received funding for ground and roof mounted systems on the 967-acre property in fiscal year 2018.)
- McLaws Professional Center in James City County will put in a roof mount photovoltaic system with sixty-nine 395-watt solar panels and 208-volt microinverters that will help to offset about 96 percent of the electric usage on the property and generate enough power for about three single family homes.
“Renewable energy projects require ingenuity and hard work, and rural Virginians are definitely up to the challenge of bringing a brighter future to their communities,” said Perry Hickman, USDA Rural Development Virginia State Director. “The investments announced today will help increase access to renewable energy infrastructure and provide savings that these farms and businesses can then reinvest in their operations and communities.”
USDA Rural Development’s investment in 675 REAP projects nationwide includes more than $94 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the nation’s largest-ever investment in combatting the climate crisis. The $264,260 grant for the Oakmulgee Dairy project was made possible with IRA funding.
The REAP program delivers on the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, Virginia Rural Development has invested more than $16 million through REAP to support renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements that will help rural business owners lower energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen their resiliency of operations.
USDA is awarding a total of $207 million for renewable energy projects and domestic fertilizer initiatives financed through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
USDA 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.
USDA continues to accept REAP applications and will hold funding competitions quarterly through Sept. 30, 2024. The funding includes a dedicated portion for underutilized renewable energy technologies. For additional information on application deadlines and submission details, see page 19239 of the March 31 Federal Register. Visit our GovDelivery subscriber page to receive regular USDA Rural Development updates.