The US Department of Agriculture announced their Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant application recently. These grants can pay for up to 25% of the eligible costs of a renewable energy project. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of funding and implement your renewable energy and/or energy efficiency projects in the Minnesota. The deadline is now May 31, 2013.
What’s available? USDA Rural Development has recently been made aware of access to additional funding for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) which will increase the 2013 funding from approximately $20 million to $60 million.
What are the deadlines? The application deadline for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvement (REEI) and Feasibility Study grants has been extended from April 30, 2013 to May 31, 2013 to facilitate the spending of these additional funds. The application deadline for the REEI guaranteed loans is July 15, 2013. There will be no opportunity for the Energy Audits and REDA this year, due to the statutory application filing date of April 1.
Earlier is better: If you’re ready to submit your application, go ahead and get it in to USDA staff so they can review it and provide feedback on any missing information which will need to be submitted before the deadline. As the deadline approaches, applications will likely pile up making an advanced review of your application more difficult to complete.
How do you apply? For those interested in an application template, they can be found on the MN REAP webpage under their respective technology. The page also contains information on applicant eligibility, past awards and potential financial assistance.
Need more background? To learn more about applying, please see a recent blog post and an in-depth fact sheet about REAP from CERTs.
Looking for a simple project idea? A Mills Fleet Farm rebate for solar-powered electric fences expires, April 30th. Click here to learn more about that opportunity.
