USDA Invests $25.3 Million in Renewable Energy Infrastructure to Help Rural Communities, Businesses and Ag Producers Build Back Better in South Carolina
Projects will Support Climate-Smart Solutions to Lower Energy Costs Throughout the State
Columbia, S.C., Sept. 9, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Department is investing $464 million to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and to help rural communities, agricultural producers and businesses lower energy costs in 48 states and Puerto Rico. Acting State Director Marty Bright-Rivera announced that eleven of these projects totaling $25.3 million are in South Carolina.
“USDA continues to prioritize climate-smart infrastructure to help rural America build back better, stronger and more equitably than ever before,” Vilsack said. “We recognize that lowering energy costs for small businesses and agricultural producers helps to expand economic development and employment opportunities for people in America’s rural towns and communities. The investments we are announcing today demonstrate how the Biden-Harris Administration has put rural communities at the heart of climate action and climate-smart solutions.”
USDA is financing $129 million of these investments through the Rural Energy for America Program. This program provides funding to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficiency improvements. These climate-smart investments will conserve and generate more than 379 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) in rural America, which equates to enough electricity to power 35,677 homes per year.
“In this funding cycle, eleven South Carolina agricultural producers and rural businesses located throughout the state will receive over $25.3 million in Renewable Energy funding,” said Marty Bright-Rivera, acting state director for South Carolina Rural Development. “We believe projects like these are climate-smart solutions which will help lower energy costs.”
USDA is financing $335 million of these investments through the Electric Loan Program. The loans will help build or improve 1,432 miles of line to strengthen reliability in rural areas. The loans include $102 million for investments in smart grid technology, which uses digital communications to detect and react to local changes in electricity usage.
The department is announcing investments today in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming and Puerto Rico.
In South Carolina:
- Lowland Farms, Incorporated located in Charleston county, will use a $12,605 grant to purchase and install a 21.6-kilowatt roof mounted solar array. This investment will replace 33,477 kilowatt hours per year and help save $4,218 per year.
- Helms Farms, LLC located in Chesterfield county, will use a $20,000 grant to purchase and install a 115.5-kilowatt solar array. This investment will save $17,822 per year and replace 185,360 kilowatt hours (100 percent) per year. This project will save enough electricity to power 17 homes.
- Resurgence LLC located in Greenville county, will use a $8,836 grant to purchase and install a 13-kilowatt solar array. This project will generate 19,240 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
- 235 Holdings LLC located in Horry county, will use a $20,000 grant to help purchase and install HVAC units at the medical building. The project will replace 6,506 kilowatt hours per year.
- Best Gift Idea Ever LLC located in Jasper county, will use a $49,914 grant to help purchase and install a 95.6-kilowatt roof mounted solar array. Best Gift Idea Ever LLC a wooden artwork manufacturer, will replace 130,160 kilowatt hours (49 percent) per year and save $13,458 per year.
- US Mechanical Contractors LLC located in Jasper county, will use a $90,284 grant to help purchase and install a 105.48-kilowatt solar array. This project will save $18,466 per year and replace 149,388 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 13 homes.
- Gunsight Solar, LLC located in Lexington county, will use a $25,000,000 loan to help purchase and install a 105.739 MWdc solar array. The system is estimated to produce 187,596,501 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 17,310 homes.
- Dantzler Farms located in Orangeburg county, will use a $19,770 grant to help purchase and install a grain dryer. This project will save $9,346 per year and replace 204,892 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 18 homes.
- City Roots, LLC located in Richland county, will receive a $20,000 grant to help purchase and install a 31.2-kilowatt roof mounted solar array. This investment will replace 44,858 kilowatt hours (82 percent) per year and save $5,382 per year.
- Hill Properties & Development LLC located in Spartanburg county, will receive a $44,413 grant to help purchase and install a 90.64-kilowatt solar array. This project will save $12,454 per year and replace 121,893 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 12 homes.
- Driftwood Farms LLC located in Williamsburg county, will receive a $15,719 grant to help purchase and install a 10.8-kilowatt roof mounted solar array. This project will generate 15,582 kilowatt hours of electricity per year.
To learn more about these and other resources for rural areas, contact a USDA Rural Development state office.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov. If you’d like to subscribe to USDA Rural Development updates, visit our GovDelivery subscriber page.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov/sc.
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