The Oregon Renewable Energy Center at Oregon Institute of Technology recently received a grant of $99,991 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist Oregon small businesses and farmers with future renewable energy projects. The grant is allocated from the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program.
The two-year grant will allow OREC to conduct on-site energy assessments to help renewable energy planning by small businesses and agriculturalists in Deschutes, Klamath and Lake Counties in Oregon, and Modoc and Siskiyou Counties in California who are eligible to apply now for free assessments. Eligible small businesses are those outside of the wider contiguous Bend area in Deschutes County, as well as those based in the other counties listed above. Eligible agriculture producers must earn at least 50 percent of their income from agriculture.
To obtain an assessment, interested businesses or agriculturalists should collect 12 months of utility and/or energy records; complete an application and questionnaire; and schedule an on-site visit. Applications are available from the OREC office.
“The REAP program and OREC are concerned with helping people figure out green technologies and energy savings and in the process take a step toward rural self-sufficiency,” said Charles “Chip” Clark, renewable energy specialist with OREC. “Though renewable technologies are expensive initially, the reality is that most businesses will pay higher fuel costs in the future, so making the switch to renewable technologies makes sense in the long run.”
The OREC energy consultations and assessments should facilitate applications for USDA grants and loans under $50,000. In addition to assessments, OREC will facilitate installations by encouraging more detailed energy audits and renewable energy networking between customers, contractors and financial providers.
For more information about the project or to request an application contact Clark at (541) 885-0720 or charles.clark@oit.edu.
