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Seven communities across Kansas have been selected to receive more than $650,000 in grants through a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program aimed at expanding clean energy and energy efficiency in rural areas. The funding is part of the USDA’s Rural Development initiative, designed to support rural businesses and farmers in reducing energy costs while promoting sustainable energy solutions.
“These grants will help Kansas farmers and rural business owners grow their operations while also lowering energy expenses,” said Christy Davis, USDA Rural Development Kansas Director. “This program supports clean energy production and improves energy efficiency in rural communities.”
The projects are part of the USDA’s fifth round of the ReConnect Program, which focuses on enhancing high-speed internet infrastructure in rural, remote, and underserved areas. Here’s how the funding breaks down across the state:
- Atchison: $98,764 awarded to the Berger Company to build a 68-kilowatt solar system, generating enough power to supply eight homes.
- Osage City: $131,950 awarded to Controlled Environmental Warehousing, LLC for a 144 kW solar system, expected to power 18 homes.
- Paola: $78,801 awarded to the Sutherland Family Limited Partnership for a 44.8 kW solar system, powering five homes.
- Tonganoxie: $48,208 awarded to Brothers Market 5 Inc. for LED lighting upgrades at a grocery store, saving enough electricity to power nine homes.
- WaKeeney: $95,037 awarded to Malay’s Market to install new refrigeration equipment and LED lighting, saving $8,947 annually and powering nine homes.
- Quinter: $135,297 awarded to Quinter Area Hospitality Group LLC to install a 79 kW solar system, powering 12 homes.
- Hutchinson: $65,201 awarded to Advance Termite and Pest Control Inc. for a solar system that will replace energy equivalent to powering four homes.
These investments highlight the ongoing efforts to boost clean energy production and improve energy efficiency across Kansas’s rural regions.
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Source: ksnt.com
