The Rural and Agricultural Revenue and Financial savings from Renewable Power (RAISE) initiative has been launched to assist farmers in the USA reduce prices.
In a media assertion, the Division of Power (DOE) and the Division of Agriculture (USDA) stated the initiative will assist improve revenue utilizing underutilized renewable applied sciences together with smaller-scale wind tasks.
The USDA has set an preliminary objective of serving to 400 particular person farmers deploy smaller-scale wind tasks utilizing its Rural Power for America Program (REAP). The Biden administration has supplied greater than $144 million in grant funding for underutilized applied sciences by means of the REAP program.
Moreover, the DOE stated it has put aside a complete of $4 million in associated funding, together with $2.5 million to help the testing, certification and commercialization of the most recent distributed wind applied sciences together with for the agricultural sector, and $1.5 million to help outreach and the identification and growth of recent enterprise fashions for farmers to economize and earn revenue deploying these applied sciences.
“There’s a large alternative to energy the American heartland with distributed wind assets, and President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is tapping into that potential so that every one People can reap the advantages of the clear transition”, stated Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm. “DOE is elevating the bar with our companions at USDA—creating jobs, decreasing prices and growing power independence for farmers and people in rural communities”.
“At present’s announcement furthers the Biden-Harris Administration’s dedication to rebuild our nation’s economic system from the center out and backside up by growing revenue and alternatives for the small and mid-sized farmers that hold rural foremost streets vibrant”, stated Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “By strengthening our longstanding partnership with DOE by means of the RAISE initiative, USDA is guaranteeing farmers and hardworking People in all places have the chance to economize and earn revenue from smaller-scale, distributed renewable power applied sciences”.
Working beneath an present memorandum of understanding, the 2 departments have a joint working group overseeing an motion plan for the RAISE initiative.
The DOE stated it has recognized advances in licensed distributed wind expertise which have opened a big market alternative, enabling cost-effective investments for farmers and rural communities.
Preliminary RAISE initiative actions are anticipated to incorporate farmer-owned smaller-scale wind tasks, small-scale hydropower, geothermal, biomass-based and different clear power. Actions additionally embrace analysis of recent enterprise fashions serving to farmers earn revenue from distributed wind, supporting U.S. element suppliers and producers of small- and medium-sized wind generators, the departments stated.
The DOE additionally intends to prioritize technical help for smaller-scale wind tasks by means of varied applications.
The USDA and the DOE will host a joint webinar collection to supply data to farmers, rural electrical cooperatives, farm associations, and small-scale, distributed wind suppliers about their applications and how one can use them to develop place-based wind tasks.
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