Investing in the Future of Maine's Great Outdoors with Renewable Energy

From USDA:

Posted by Virginia Manuel, Maine State Director, USDA Rural Development, on January 12, 2015 at 10:30 AM

Standing in front of the solar array at Mt. Abram, Maine’s first solar-powered ski area are Solar Market Owner Naoto Inoue; Mt. Abram Owner Matthew Hancock; USDA Rural Development State Director Virginia Manuel; Senator Angus King's representative, Ben Tucker; and Senator Susan Collins' representative, Carlene Tremblay.

Recently I had the privilege of joining Matthew Hancock and his team at Mt. Abram, a unique, sustainable ski area located in the mountains of Western Maine. An immense 803 panel solar photovoltaic system greeted gatherers as they drove in, the result of a Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) Grant awarded by Maine USDA Rural Development. The system in Greenwood is the second largest solar project in the country for a ski area, the first ever in Maine, and as a sign next to the solar panels boasts, it is also the “World’s Largest Snow Making Site.”

This important project was made possible in part by a USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program Grant, which provided $235,000 of the $940,000 total project cost. Matt’s business will benefit significantly, with 70 percent of operations at the ski area operating on solar generated power, while skiers and nature enthusiasts will appreciate its green, carbon emission-reducing features, making Mt. Abram truly “Maine’s Sustainable Mountain Playground.” In addition to its solar features, Mt. Abram heats the lodge with wood pellets and was the second ski area in North America to install electric vehicle chargers.

Mt. Abram expects to draw 40,000 skiers to its mountain this winter season, with many from out of state coming to take advantage of our snowy winters!  These ski enthusiasts will patronize the local restaurants, shops, and lodging facilities in the rural communities surrounding the ski area and helps to support 125 vital jobs at Mt. Abram.

Mt. Abram is the world’s largest solar snow making site.

In addition to supporting USDA’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, this project joins a long line of renewable energy firsts here in Maine that have been supported by USDA Rural Development. Other landmark renewable energy projects include Maine’s first net-zero solar greenhouse, Cozy Acres, in North Yarmouth; Maine’s first net-zero solar affordable housing complex, Brookside Village senior housing, in Farmington; and Maine’s first affordable solar wharf, Potts Harbor Lobster Company wharf, in Harpswell.

We have a responsibility for good stewardship of our outdoor spaces, and going forward, USDA Rural Development’s renewable energy programs will continue to help preserve the pristine beauty of Maine’s natural resources!

Matt Hancock and Virginia Manuel celebrate after throwing a switch and officially commissioning the solar panels.

Funds Promote Development of Rural Wood to Energy Projects

USDA Blog Post:

Posted by Patrick Holmes, Special Assistant, Natural Resources and Environment, on September 13, 2013 at 1:00 PM

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Bioenergy Memorandum of Understanding is signed by wood energy partners (left - right) Biomass Thermal Energy Council, Executive Director Joseph Seymour; Alliance for Green Heat, President John Ackerly; USDA Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden; Pellet Fuels Institute Executive, Director Jennifer Hedrick; Biomass Power Association, President and CEO Bob Cleaves, at the USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2013. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

Earlier this week, USDA, U.S. Forest Service and partners took a major step to improve forest management, create rural jobs, prevent wildfires, and expand promising renewable energy opportunities.

Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden joined leaders from the Alliance for Green Heat, the Biomass Power Association, the Biomass Thermal Energy Council, and the Pellet Fuels Institute here in Washington for the announcement of a new partnership agreement. Acting as master of ceremonies for the signing event was Acting USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Doug O’Brien.  Through the Rural Energy for America program and other programs, Rural Development has been a leader in promoting deployment of wood-to-energy projects.

This agreement focuses on promoting wood energy nationwide to reduce fire risk, bolster rural economic development, improve air quality and help meet the Obama Administration’s “All of the Above” renewable energy and energy efficiency goals. The organizations support the use of wood energy across the scale of users – from residential users, to commercial and institutional facilities, to industrial production of heat and/or electricity to drive businesses and feed the electrical grid.

For more than a decade, USDA has supported wood energy as part of a forest restoration economy. Since 2009 USDA has invested over $956 million (nearly $1 billion) through grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support over 200 wood energy projects across the country.

Led by the Forest Service, this work helps to restore the health of forests and watersheds, provide rural areas with cost-effective energy alternatives, and create new income and employment opportunities in sectors ranging from engineering and construction, to manufacturing and forestry. It also provides an economical alternative to fuel oil heating in areas where natural gas supplies are limited. USDA’s Rural Development mission area and the Farm Services Agency also support wood energy through a variety of grants, loans, and loan guarantees. All told, USDA agencies contributed over $500 million last year to support wood energy.

The Deputy Secretary also announced the award of over $1 million dollars in grants to develop wood energy teams with Alaska, California, Idaho, Minnesota and New Hampshire. These cooperative agreements signal that successful wood energy projects and forest restoration efforts demand partnership at all levels as well as the sustained commitment of many and diverse forest users.  The federal funds will leverage $1.8 million in non-federal investments.

Grant recipients are:

Idaho Governor’s Office of Energy Resources, Boise

The Watershed Research & Training Center, Hayfork, Calif.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Saint Paul

North Country Resource Conservation & Development Council, Gilford, N.H.

The Alaska Energy Authority, Anchorage

For more information on the cooperative agreement program, visit http://na.fs.fed.us/werc/wood-energy/. For more information on USDA’s renewable energy programs click here.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden hosts the signing of the USDA Bioenergy Memorandum of Understanding and was joined by leaders for the announcement of the new partnership agreement at the USDA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 2013. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.

USDA Rural Development State Offices Hold Energy Stakeholder Meetings

Posted by Judy Canales, Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, on April 27, 2012 at 4:00 PM

Senator Al Franken and Minn. Rural Development State Director Colleen Landkamer participate in a roundtable meeting on the USDA Rural Energy For America Program.

Throughout the first quarter of 2012, the 47 Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) State Offices held energy stakeholder meetings across the country to discuss ways the Rural Energy For America Program (REAP) can assist agricultural producers and rural businesses with their energy needs.   Meeting participants included local lenders, grant writers, small business owners, and local, state and federal government agencies.

REAP provides loans, loan guarantees, and grants to agricultural producers and small rural businesses who want to purchase and install renewable energy systems (solar panels, wind turbines, flexible fuel pumps, or anaerobic digesters), make energy efficiency improvements (installing irrigation pumps, replacing ventilation systems, or purchasing grain dryers), and conduct energy audits and feasibility studies.  Over the past nine years, REAP has helped over 13,000 businesses install renewable energy systems.  REAP has also help stimulate economic growth and prosperity in rural America by creating and saving thousands of jobs.

Since President Obama took office, REAP has:

• Supported 5,733 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide
• Generated or saved an estimated 6.5 million megawatt hours of power – enough energy to

power 600,000 American homes for a year

• Provided $192 million in grants and $165 million in loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small business owners for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements
• Fostered partnerships that leveraged an estimated $800 million from other sources
• Helped create or save almost 10,000 jobs throughout rural America

Thanks in part to REAP, since 2008, the amount of renewable energy produced in the U.S. from wind, solar, and geothermal sources has nearly doubled.

ENERGY STAKEHOLDER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Iowa Rural Development State Director Bill Menner (Standing, Left) addresses participants in a renewable energy meeting in Des Moines.

On March 20, 2012, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack released a 44 page report highlighting the ways REAP contributes to U.S. energy independence and helps rural small businesses and farmers become energy efficient.

In February 2012, USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager hosted a stakeholders meeting in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to discuss renewable energy funding opportunities with a group of 25 participants.

On April 10, 2012, Minnesota Senator Al Franken, along with 40 farmers, small business owners, and energy partners gathered in Mankato, Minnesota to discuss the REAP program.  Six hundred and seventy-four projects have received funding in Minnesota since 2003.

Report from USDA: Supporting Cutting-Edge Efforts to Reduce America's Reliance on Fossil Fuel

From USDA Energy blog:

Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, on April 13, 2012 at 10:37 AM

Cross posted from the White House blog:

Since taking office, President Obama has been committed to an all-of-the-above approach that expands production of American energy resources. Already, there are signs that this strategy is making an impact. Last year, domestic oil production reached the highest level in nearly a decade. Imports of foreign oil fell to the lowest level in 16 years. We’re producing more natural gas than at any time in our history. Since 2008, renewable energy generation from sources like wind, solar, and geothermal has nearly doubled. And the Obama Administration has supported the first nuclear power plant in thirty years.

Strengthening the domestic biofuels industry has been another critical component of this overall strategy. And today, U.S. biofuel production is at its highest level in history. In fact, average monthly production increased more than 40 percent between 2008 and 2011. That means more jobs – especially in rural America – and greater energy security.

At USDA, we continue to support cutting-edge efforts to reduce America’s reliance on fossil fuel. For example, earlier this month, USDA announced approval of a $5 million payment to Western Plains Energy, LLC to support the construction of a biogas anaerobic digester in Oakley, KS. The completed project will utilize waste energy resources from a local cattle feedlot to replace almost 90 percent of the fossil fuels currently used by Western Plains Energy. In Blairstown, Iowa, USDA funding will be used to construct a 55,000 square foot facility that will produce cellulosic ethanol by converting municipal solid waste and other industrial pulps into advanced biofuels, as well as using conventional renewable biofuel derived from seed corn waste.  When operational, the facility is expected to produce approximately 3.6 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol per year. Support for renewable energy projects such as these is an example of the many ways USDA is helping revitalize rural economies.

Last year, through the Rural Energy for America Program, USDA provided biomass project funding assistance for a total of 52 projects with just over $31 million in grant and loan note guarantees. This support helped to leverage a total of $154.5 million of biomass project development in 26 states which will help produce clean, renewable heat and power for farms and small businesses in rural America.

We’ve got to keep this momentum going. This week, the biofuels community filed a brief to intervene in an ongoing lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on how the EPA is setting goals for the implementation of the congressionally mandated Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS). These folks, largely from rural America, are standing up for a more secure energy future and a stronger economy – one that can create up to a million new jobs in the domestic biofuels and biobased industries.

While some may challenge the EPA on enforcement of the Renewable Fuels Standard, it is important to recognize that biofuels will be an increasingly important part of our nation’s energy portfolio in the years ahead. And when combined with other efforts to increase energy efficiency and promote advanced, clean energy technologies, we will move closer to achieving energy independence and build on the progress we’ve already made. In fact,we have already cut net oil imports by ten percent – or a million barrels a day – in the last year alone.

At the same time, we know that our economy will rely on oil for the foreseeable future. As we work to expand domestic oil production, we will also need to blend it with our domestically produced biofuels – whether cellulosic ethanol or drop in, biodiesel or aviation – and the sooner the better. After all, we can’t afford to wait on the issue of American energy security.

Deputy Under Secretary Cheryl Cook Announces Obama Administration Accomplishments Supporting Renewable Energy

Posted by Dawn Knepp, USDA Pennsylvania Public Information Officer, on March 22, 2012 at 10:00 AM

David Fink, owner of Heidel Hollow Farm, described the farm’s energy savings from the 896 panel solar array funded by USDA Rural Development to USDA officials and others gathered at his farm.

The sun shone brightly on the 896 panel solar array at Heidel Hollow Farm in Germansville, Penn., as USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Cheryl L. Cook, other USDA officials and guests celebrated the farm’s successful renewable energy project and the announcement of a new USDA Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Report. Heidel Hollow Farm, a family-owned, 1,600 acre hay farm, was awarded two USDA  Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants in 2010. The grants were used toward a solar energy project that provides approximately 252,800 KW of electricity used in the hay compressing operation of the farm and an energy efficiency project that replaced one diesel engine with five electric motors, saving over 8,000 gallons of diesel fuel each year.  The compactor increases the density of baled hay by 2 1/2 times for more efficient shipping to overseas customers.

According to Deputy Under Secretary Cook, “Rural Development’s REAP grants to Heidel Hollow Farm are excellent examples of funding that contributes to making farm operations more energy efficient and economical. This funding for renewable energy projects helps rebuild and revitalize rural America.”   The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency report, released by Secretary Vilsack, highlights the ways in which USDA’s REAP program contributes to U.S. energy independence. Heidel Hollow Farm is one of 79 renewable energy projects funded in Pennsylvania since 2009. In total, Rural Development invested over $5.6 million in Pennsylvania energy projects.  Click here to find out how REAP is making a difference and saving energy in Pennsylvania.

USDA Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Cheryl L. Cook, Esq. lifts one of the 35 lb. compressed hay bales currently being produced at Heidel Hollow Farm in Germansville for overseas shipment. Energy used to compress the bales comes from solar power.

The deadline for some 2012 Energy applications is approaching. To find out more, contact your local USDA Rural Development office or click here.

USDA Blog Post

Rural New Mexico Businesses Saving Energy and Going Green!

Posted by Terry Brunner, USDA New Mexico Rural Development State Director, on March 14, 2012 at 1:21 PM

This eighteen solar panel array is generating more than enough electricity to offset the cost of energy it takes to run the Los Ebanistas, Inc. contracting firm’s woodshop and offices in Dixon, NM on an everyday basis. The extra energy that is generated is then routed back into the electric grid allowing Los Ebanistas to make a profit on the additional energy.

It’s 8:20 AM and Jo Ann Shelby, the manager of Compass Components, in Deming, New Mexico is beginning her day by going over her latest work production and business expense reports.  She finds the cost of electricity to light the 90,000 square foot assembly plant is down 50 percent.

At the exact same time across the state in Dixon, New Mexico, Mark Johnson the owner of Los Ebanistas, Incorporated construction firm is in his office and hears the sound of a table saw ripping a piece of oak.  He knows even though he’s using the same amount of electricity as he did last year, he’s actually making money.

What do these two businesses have in common?  The answer is simple.  They both invested in energy efficient and renewable energy systems with the help of the federal government.

Both businesses applied for and received financial help to offset the cost of installing these new energy systems through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) administered by USDA Rural Development.  The REAP program was created to help  agricultural producers and small rural businesses take advantage of installing alternative energy systems to help them be more competitive in their business dealings and at the same time help America become more energy independent.

This program can offset the cost of installing energy efficiency or an alternative energy system with a 25 percent grant.  REAP can be used to pay for the installation of energy efficient air conditioners, heaters and lighting systems. It can also be used to pay for the installation of bioenergy, flexible fuel pumps, small and large wind and solar; geothermal-electric generation and direct use; hydropower, hydrogen, and anaerobic digester systems.

The main assembly plant building at Compass Components, Inc. in Deming, New Mexico is now equipped with a new more efficient lighting system. By replacing the old fluorescent light system the company is now saving 50 percent on its lighting bill.

Using the REAP program Compass Components Incorporated (CCI) installed a new lighting system at the Deming assembly plant.  CCI received a grant to offset the cost of installing the new energy efficient lighting system. The system replaces 630 fluorescent tube lights with 48 energy-efficient T-8 Hi-Bay lights. Since installing the new lighting system CCI has seen enough savings in its electric bill to recoup its investment in a few years.

Los Ebanistas, Inc. received a grant to help pay for the cost of the installation of an 18 panel solar power system. The new system provides enough electricity to power the Los Ebanistas offices and woodworking shop where they manufacture custom cabinets and furniture. By making the investment to install the solar power array, Los Ebanistas has become more energy efficient and more profitable at the same time because it sells the extra power its solar array produces to the Jemez Mountains Electric Cooperative.

USDA is currently accepting applications for funding through the REAP program.  To find out more, call your local USDA Rural Development State Office.

Ag Under Secretary Hosts SD Mtg on Renewable Energy Funding

Post from USDA blog:

Posted by Tammi Schone, USDA South Dakota Public Information Officer, on February 16, 2012 at 2:46 PM

This afternoon, USDA Rural Development in South Dakota convened a Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) meeting in Sioux Falls.  Rural Development Under Secretary Dallas Tonsager addressed the group of 25 stakeholders.  Tonsager shared with the group that over the next couple of months, USDA Rural Development will be convening a total of 47 energy roundtables with stakeholders across the country to talk about energy opportunities.

“Our country is moving more and more toward renewable energy sources,” stated Tonsager. “Those of us at USDA want to stand up that renewable energy industry in America’s rural backyard, and we want to work with all of you to make it happen.”

South Dakota has shown its strength in the renewable energy arena with hydro and wind power.  These projects create a win-win situation.  They’re good for the environment; they reduce our reliance on foreign oil; and they’re good for the economy.

The group also heard from past REAP recipient and Senior Vice President of American Coalition for Ethanol Ron V. Lamberty.   The American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) is the grassroots voice of the U.S. ethanol industry, the nation’s largest association dedicated to the production and use of ethanol.

ACE is a non-profit, membership-based organization of more than 1,500 members nationwide, including: ethanol producers, farmers, investors, the agriculture community, industry suppliers, rural electric cooperatives, and others supportive of the increased production and use of ethanol across America.

In conjunction with the meeting, Under Secretary Tonsager and South Dakota State Director Elsie Meeks awarded Jackson Winery and Vineyards, L.L.C. dba Belle Joli’ Winery with a business assistance grant funded through the Value Added Producer Grant program.  Co-owner Matthew Jackson and his wife Choi were on-site for the presentation.  The working capital grant will allow the business to expand and tap into new markets for its products and services.

On Saturday, February 18, Tonsager will participate in the South Dakota Farmer’s Union Convention held in Huron.  He will provide an update on the work Rural Development is doing to ensure that our rural communities are strong and sustainable now and well into the future.  USDA remains committed to rebuilding and revitalizing rural America.

With USDA's Help, a Midwest Grocer Cuts his Energy Bill

From USDA blog:

Posted by Adam Czech USDA Public Affairs Specialist, on February 6, 2012 at 10:33 AM

Pat Longmire has owned a grocery store in Spring Grove, Minn., for 22 years. He knows customers want fresh produce, quality meats and weekly deals that save a buck here and there.

But he wasn’t sure how customers would react after he put glass doors on the coolers in the store. Longmire didn’t have to worry for long, however. “The response was overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

Longmire used a grant from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program(REAP) to purchase and install the doors. The doors resulted in a savings of about $500 per month on heating, cooling and electricity bills.

“It’s the smartest thing we could have done,” he said. “You get return on your investment back quickly.”

With energy costs rising and the grocery industry trying to become more energy efficient, Longmire knew the time was now to make the upgrade.

He originally considered replacing all the coolers in the store, but decided using the REAP program to install doors on the existing coolers was a better option. The entire project was completed for what it would have cost to replace just one cooler.

Using funding provided through USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, a Minnesota grocer installed doors on coolers and cut his energy bill by $500 a month

Longmire set the thermostat inside the store to 72 degrees when he had open coolers. Since the doors have been added, he sets the temperature to 68 degrees and the store actually feels warmer than it did at 72.

“We were just wasting energy before,” Longmire said. “If every store across the country did what we did, the impact would be dramatic. It’s just one little thing, but it’s making everything more efficient.”

Without the REAP program, Longmire’s energy costs would have kept going up. Instead, he was able to do something about it and use the money he saves to improve his business and contribute to the local economy.

“This program really helps businesses like mine do projects like this and stay competitive,” Longmire said. “It’s great.”

USDA is currently accepting applications for funding through the REAP program.  For more information click here.

Meeting with USDA Officials to Discuss Renewable Energy Opportunities

From USDA blog:

Posted by Bill Menner, Iowa State Director, USDA Rural Development, on January 27, 2012 at 11:29 AM

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a meeting with many rural energy stakeholders that USDA Rural Development works closely with here in Iowa.

Joining me in the discussion were representatives from the Environmental Law and Policy Center, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, MidAmerican Energy, USDA Farm Service Agency, Community Vitality Center at Iowa State University, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and many more.

Also in attendance were representatives from Senator Tom Harkin’s and Congressman Leonard Boswell’s offices.  Senator Harkin helped draft the original Energy Title in the 2002 Farm Bill.

During the conversation it was very clear that USDA Rural Development’s energy programs are making significant impacts on rural communities throughout Iowa.  The business owners and farmers benefitting from this assistance are decreasing their energy footprint, converting renewable resources into cleaner energy, and creating and saving jobs.

Since 2002, USDA Rural Development has awarded $130 million in guaranteed loans and grants to help more than 700 small businesses and producers in Iowa reduce energy costs by making energy-efficiency improvements, as well as installing renewable energy systems such as wind turbines, geothermal and solar.

I was excited to hear from LaVon Griffieon, owner of Griffieon Farms and a past recipient of the agency’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). LaVon had tremendous praise for the program, as well as how helpful Rural Development staff was throughout the entire application and awarding process. Griffieon Farms’ fresh meat direct-market business is now using 34 percent less energy thanks to three new commercial freezers purchased with assistance from REAP.

Iowa Rural Development State Director Bill Menner (Standing, Left) addresses participants in a renewable energy meeting in Des Moines.

Mark Edelman with Iowa State University’s Community Vitality Center, and Jennifer Reutzel with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), both talked about the importance of energy audits for small businesses in rural America.  This year REAP dollars are helping fund a pollution prevention program sponsored by the Iowa DNR that helps companies reduce water use and save energy, among other things.

Also during the meeting Andy Olsen with Environmental Law and Policy Center emphasized the important role solar technologies and small wind projects could play with producers and businesses looking to save energy costs.

USDA is currently accepting application for REAP funding.  For more information please visitwww.rurdev.usda.gov or click here.