Projects funded by Inflation Reduction Act will lower energy costs, create revenue for rural business owners, farms

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced USDA is investing $1.3 million in renewable energy projects in North Carolina to lower energy costs, generate new income and create jobs for farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers and rural small businesses in the Tar Heel State.

The projects announced today are being funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis, through the Rural Energy for America Program(REAP). 

This funding advances the President’s Investing in America agenda to grow the nation’s economy from the middle out and bottom up by increasing competition in agricultural markets, lowering costs and expanding clean energy.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is committed to ensuring farmers, ranchers and small businesses are directly benefitting from both a clean energy economy and a strong U.S. supply chain,” USDA Rural Development North Carolina State Director Reginald Speight said. “The investments announced today will expand access to renewable energy systems while creating good-paying jobs and saving people money that they can then invest back into their businesses and communities.”

Rural clean energy production

Through the REAP program, USDA provides grants and loans to help ag producers and rural small business owners expand their use of wind, solar and other forms of clean energy and make energy efficiency improvements. These innovations help them increase their income, grow their businesses, address climate change and lower energy costs.  

The REAP program is part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which set a goal to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. 

These investments will cut energy costs for farmers and ag producers that can instead be used to create jobs and new revenue streams for people in their communities. 

In North Carolina today’s announcement will benefit 12 producers in 10 counties.

For example:

• In Alexander County, Danny Millsaps will use a $69,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 93.5-kilowatt solar array. This poultry farming operation will realize $9,537 per year in savings, and will save 119,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is save enough electricity to power 11 homes.
• In Alexander County, Icenhour Poultry and Beef LLC will use a $154,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 179-kilowatt solar array. This agricultural producer will save 263,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 25 homes. 
• In Buncombe County, Vargas Vineyard Ventures LLC will use a $63,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 22.1-kilowatt solar array. This project will save 27,000 kilowatt hours per year.
• In Cherokee County, Rare Bird Emporium LLC will use a $81,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 18.72 kilowatt-solar array which will be connected to a battery backup energy storage system to ensure the business never loses power. This project will save 25,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power two homes.
• In Clay County, Incredible Storage Hayesville LLC will use a $100,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 46.41-kilowatt solar array which will be connected to a battery backup energy storage system to ensure the business never loses power. This project will save 61,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power five homes.
• In Forsyth County, Heritage Harvest LTD will use a $16,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to make energy-efficiency improvements to their farm operations. Funds will be used to purchase and install improvements to their cooler and HVAC system. This project will save the store $919 per year and will save 25,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power two homes.
• In Guilford County, Charles Gary Cobb will use a $82,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to make energy-efficiency improvements to his farming operations. Funds will be used to purchase and install a grain dryer, which will save the farm $13,827 per year and will save 184,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 17 homes.
• In Madison County, Madison Branch & Bloom DBA Good Fight will use a $70,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 18.27-kilowatt solar array which will be connected to a battery backup energy storage system to ensure the business never loses power. This project will generate 21,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power two homes.
• In Madison County, Lightshed LLC will use a $16,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 12-kilowatt solar array. This project will generate 16,000 hours per year.
• In Polk County, Pure Country Inc. will use a $257,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 264-kilowatt solar array. This project will save 889,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 33 homes. 
• In Surry County, Christopher Andrew Collins will use a $96,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 84.5-kilowatt solar array. This project will save 127,000 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 12 homes.
• In Wilkes County, Speaks Poultry will use a $332,000 USDA REAP Renewable Energy and Efficiency Grant to purchase and install a 386-kilowatt solar array. This project will generate 587,102 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 53 homes.

Nationwide today’s announcement includes an investment of over $120 million in 541 Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) projects across 44 states. 

USDA is making the REAP awards in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Since the start of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA has invested more than $1.8 billion through REAP in over 6,000 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 continues to accept REAP applications and will hold funding competitions quarterly through Sept. 30. 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.  

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. Visit the Rural Data Gateway to learn how and where these investments are impacting rural America. To subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, go to the GovDelivery Subscriber Page.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under 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, go to www.usda.gov.