BEMIDJI — U.S. Sen. Tina Smith recently announced farms in Shevlin and Clearbrook will receive grants to purchase and install a 50-kilowatt solar array through the Renewable Energy for America program.
Seventy farms and small businesses across Minnesota received a total of $7,875,510 to install clean energy technology on their farms. Grant funding will save 5,975,000 kilowatt hours per year, totaling $692,900 in additional energy savings.
The Shevlin farm received $134,490, which will save $11,000 per year and 90,000 kilowatt hours of energy. The Clearbrook farm received $130,740, which will save $20,000 per year and 91,000 kilowatt hours. Each farm's energy savings would be enough to power eight homes, a release said.
"The clean energy transition is happening, and I want us to lead it," Smith said in the release. "As we make the switch to cleaner, cheaper energy, we need to make sure everyone benefits. That’s why programs like REAP, which helps rural communities install renewable energy systems, are so important."
The funding is specifically set aside for agricultural producers and rural small businesses to install renewable energy systems or to make energy efficiency improvements. According to the release, agriculture currently accounts for roughly one-quarter of Minnesota's greenhouse gas emissions.
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"These investments will save farms and small businesses all across the state thousands of dollars a year in energy costs while helping reduce harmful emissions," Smith added.
