The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Tennessee Rural Development Office is accepting applications for a competitive national grant program promoting renewable energy.
Nationwide, the USDA will put $22.8 million into the Renewable Energy Grant and Energy Efficiency Grant programs. Renewable energy grants can range from $2,500 to $500,000. Energy efficiency grants range from $2,500 to $250,000. The money is available to small agricultural producers and business owners in cities with a population of 50,000 or fewer.
Energy efficiency projects can include improvements to pumping systems, heating and cooling systems, refrigeration, lighting, motor systems, insulation and retrofitting. Renewable energy projects can include systems that derive energy from biomass, wind, solar, hydrogen and geothermal systems.
Applications must be submitted to the USDA's state office postmarked no later than June 13. Application information is available at: www.rurdev.usda.gov/tn.
Grant applicants will compete nationally. The scoring criteria include:
Applicants who haven't received funding through the program in previous years are eligible for additional points on their application.