Grants help expand solar power across the Tri-States - WGEM
Grants help expand solar power across the Tri-States
QUINCY (WGEM) - Over a dozen Tri-State businesses are starting to harness the power of the sun with the help of new USDA grants.
More than $1 million were awarded to 16 different companies across the region as part of the Rural Energy for America Program. More than $200 million worth of grants were handed out nationwide.
Around $1,038,000 was awarded to companies to help them expand and invest in building solar arrays to help power their businesses.
The remaining $64,000 was awarded to help invest in a new grain drying system and energy efficient infrastructure.
The grant program uses funding originally built into the Inflation Reduction Act.
One of the recipients was D&B Farms, which received nearly $90,000 for a new 95-kilowatt solar array.
Farm partner Daron Duke said the project would not have been possible without grants like this.
“It makes solar projects economically feasible. Without the grant programs out there, then the actual cost of the solar power system would be greater than what the savings would be. That’s why these projects or these grants are so important,” Duke said.
The farm operates two pig barns, which Duke said requires lots of electricity for ventilation.
Another local business, that received the grant, was Doors’N’More in Quincy.
Co-Owner Craig Heming said he decided to invest in the sun after seeing the benefits of solar power at his own home.
“I am seeing the energy savings that I wanted to see on my home so my brothers and I, we talked it over. It’s a pretty large-scale thing to do here for our business. But we decided to tackle it and so far, everything seems to be rolling along,” Heming said.
He said the company installed the solar array at the end of last year and this grant money helps pay that back.
Heming said, so far this year, they have saved over $3,000 on utility bills.
The USDA plans to announce additional grant awards over the coming months.
Applications for the program will remain open through Sept. 30, 2024.
You can find out more information about the Rural Energy for America Program here.
Copyright 2023 WGEM. All rights reserved.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: solar
Declining costs and government encouragement have resulted in a rapid increase in solar energy production in the United States over the past 10 years, although solar’s share remains small: 1.6 percent of all electricity generation in 2018. That rapid growth is projected to continue.