USDA Announces Funding for Projects to Boost Renewable Energy Production, Reduce Energy Consumption
Washington State dairy will install an anaerobic digester and sell the resulting electricity to a utility.
Source: USDA news release
A Washington State dairy is among 244 renewable energy projects nationwide that have received funding to reduce energy consumption and costs, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Oct. 19.
The projects are focused on helping agricultural producers and rural small businesses. They include wind, biomass, solar and other renewable energy projects. Funding is made available through USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). In all, USDA announced over $16 million in energy investments.
Edaleen Cow Power LLC, located near Lynden, Wash., has been selected to receive a REAP Loan and Grant Combination of $2,638,000 to install an anaerobic digester and sell the resulting electricity to a utility. The project is anticipated to generate 4,635 Megawatt hours per year. Edaleen Dairy’s 2,450-head herd will be the sole manure source for the project, USDA said, and the dairy will benefit by from the bedding byproduct the digester produces.
In Coos County, N.H., Balsams View, LLC has been selected to receive a grant to replace an outdated heating system with a state of the art, high-efficiency, wood fired biomass boiler system. The new energy-efficient system is expected to use 77% less wood.
In Augusta, Wis., farmer Matthew Gabler has been selected to receive a grant to install a new 11-kilowatt wind turbine producing approximately 29,000 kilowatt-hours a year for his farm.
REAP offers financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and rural small businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy-efficiency improvements. These federal funds leverage other funding sources for businesses.
For a complete listing of Rural Energy for America Program grant and loan recipients announced Oct. 19, please click here.
For additional information on Rural Development projects, please visit Rural Development's new interactive web map featuring program funding and success stories for fiscal years 2009-2011. The data can be found here.
