•November 16, 2016•

USDA recently announced an investment of $490,000 in Illinois, and more than $300 million nationwide, to help rural small businesses save money on their energy costs by adopting renewable sources or implementing more efficient energy options. The funding is through the USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

Grant funding for the eight projects in Illinois ranged from $30,700 to $135,000, and includes the purchase and installation of solar renewable energy systems; energy efficiency improvements to insulation, and geothermal and lighting systems; purchase and installation of a fermenter for ethanol production; and energy efficiency improvements to grain dryers. One example of the Illinois improvements is a $40,000 grant to Monahan Filaments, LLC., of Arcola. The grant contributes to a nearly $190,000 project to upgrade existing lighting and chillers; it will result in more than $26,000 per year in savings and replace enough electricity to power 52 homes (568,868 kWh).     Login or Subscribe to read the rest of this story.