Public Funding Making Business Sector Solar Retrofits More Viable

Solar Energy Consultant Bob Gentile and large solar array. Photo courtesy of Abundant Energy Inc.

As solar technology in the United States becomes more refined and public funds in the forms of federal grants and state rebates become increasingly available, more and more business are starting to retrofit.

Over the last few months, Florida has seen some of the nation’s biggest growth in the development and use of solar power. Last month, President Barack Obama was on-hand at the Florida Power and Lights DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center as it powered up for the first time.

With more than 90,500 solar panels, the plant is now the largest solar photovoltaic facility in the country, with the capacity to annually generate an estimated 42,000 megawatt-hours or enough power to serve about 3,000 homes.

By early next week, the installation of the largest privately owned solar array in Marin County, Fla. will be completed, according to Derrick Christenson, a real estate associate with Christenson Commercial.

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New Energy Audit Grants and Renewable Energy Assistance Programs For Rural America - USDA

Photo courtesy of Clean Energy Resources Teams, St. Paul, Minn..

WASHINGTON, D.C.- In an effort to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses identify ways to reduce energy consumption, the United States Department of Agriculture is announcing that it will give grants to eligible applicants to conduct energy audits and renewable energy development assistance programs under the Rural Energy for America Program.

Those eligible to receive funds include: state, local, and tribal governments, land grant colleges and universities, and other institutions of higher education, as well as rural electric cooperatives and public power entities.

Audits will be conducted by certified energy managers or professional engineers that focus on potential capital-intensive projects and that will involve the detailed gathering of field data and engineering analysis. In addition, audits will provide detailed project costs and savings information.

To ensure that the largest number of eligible applicants can participate in the program, grant funds will be limited to up to $100,000 per approved applicant, according to the Federal Register.

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