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'Clean energy' projects on tap

A New Hampshire hardware store is among the 586 USDA recipients.
1/17/2025

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack recently shared that the USDA is funding 586 projects to "expand access to clean energy systems" throughout the U.S. The USDA is providing nearly $180 million in funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), with funding from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.

According to the USDA, the projects will create new market opportunities for farmers, ranchers, forest landowners and agricultural producers in 42 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A snapshot of the entities receiving funding are below.

REAP funding
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Sierra Cascade Forest Products LLC in Lyons, Oregon, landed $67,760 for a renewable energy system, saving over $5,000 yearly while generating 71,483 kWh annually, sufficient to power four homes​.

KJO Enterprises, a cabinet-making business in Hamilton, Montana, received $152,575 for a 71-kilowatt solar array, expected to reduce costs by more than $16,000 and replace 94,890 kWh of electricity annually​.

Canaan Hardware and Supply of Canaan, N.H., got $56,242 for a 33.6-kilowatt system with 84 panels that will generate an estimated 38,000 kilowatt hours (kWh), saving the company roughly $9,800 each year.

Elite Forest Products of Chatsworth, Ga., received $172,815 for a Morbark 30/36 woodchipper. The woodchipper is projected to generate 40,000 tons per year of wood chips, which will realize $1,070,000 in net income and will produce 89,083 megawatts per hours per year, enough to power 8,249 homes.

Paniolo Hardwoods LLC in Kamuela, Hawaii, landed $99,044 for a photovoltaic system that offsets dry kiln operational costs and reduces coal consumption by 49,572 pounds per year​ (or the equivalent of 102 barrels of oil).

To date, USDA says it has invested more than $1.3 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for 8,012 clean energy projects through REAP, and more than $287 million in 345 projects through HBIIP that increase the availability of domestic biofuels across the country.

For the full list of those receiving funding, click here.

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