Originally published on ilsr.org. Last week I asked why rural electric cooperatives haven’t been leaders on renewable energy. This week, I explain a $6 billion opportunity they can seize to take leadership. One of the biggest barriers to making investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy is the upfront cost. … [continued]
US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $68 million in funding Thursday for 540 US renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the nation’s rural communities. This legislation is part of the “Swiss Army knife” of tools for jobs, innovation, infrastructure, research, and conservation President Obama has been talking about. Of … [continued]
The US Department of Agriculture announced their Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant application recently. These grants can pay for up to 25% of the eligible costs of a renewable energy project. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of funding and implement your renewable energy and/or energy … [continued]
The US Department of Agriculture has just kicked off a $10 million bioproduct and biofuel research project aimed at the automotive industry, and in case you’re wondering why the USDA is involved in auto manufacturing, just look at that word bioproducts again. Part of USDA’s mission is to help the agriculture … [continued]
The USDA’s Natural Conservation Service has worked with private landowners and a host of other partners in restoring and conserving more than 2.6 million acres of U.S. wetlands since the Wetlands Reserve Program was created 20 years ago …
The USDA recently announced it has obtained its $250 million goal to improve US rural smart grids. US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on a tour in North Carolina noted that taxpayers will see very little cost for smart grid infrastructure investment for the rural US, thanks to the USDA reaching … [continued]
Editor’s note: solar PV and wind energy use a ton less water than their electricity counterparts (nuclear, coal, oil, and combined cycle power plants). Despite the imminent landfall of Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf Coast, the United States is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades, as measured by the U.S. … [continued]
Hot off the heels of the solar energy zone development proposal, the US government continues to make hits with renewable energy this week. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Energy (DOE) have announced an investment of $41 million to drive innovation and efficiency in feedstock improvement … [continued]
No matter how much we increase our content, I can’t avoid ending up with a ton of stories I wish we had had more time to cover. However, I guess it has been taking longer for the stories to build up (so that’s good). Anyway, I’m about to post a … [continued]
Following hot of the heels of recent wind energy and energy efficiency announcements in the Gopher state, the biofuels industry received some good news recently. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced national funding of US$44.6 million to 156 businesses and producers on advanced biofuel projects. In order to … [continued]
