September 24, 2024
Kansas Energy Program to Host USDA REAP Grant Webinar
The Kansas Energy Program (KEP), housed within K-State’s Engineering Extension department, will host a webinar on the USDA Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, on September 26 at 11:00 a.m. to provide information on changes to the program. Registration is available at https://kansasenergyprogram.org/events/reap-webinar-vendorsinstallers. This webinar will be great professional development training for Extension agents and other K-State employees that work with agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
The USDA REAP was created in the 2008 Farm Bill, combining two earlier farm-related bills involving energy efficiency and renewable energy. With the recent passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, the REAP was amended to include additional funding and submission opportunities. Previously, there were only two submission dates for REAP grant applications and the maximum grant award was 25% of eligible project costs. With the IRA amendments, REAP grants can be submitted quarterly and applicants can request reimbursement of up to 50% of eligible project costs. The KEP will share information on these, and many other, changes to the REAP.
Since 2016, KEP has conducted more than 200 energy assessments for Kansas agricultural producers and rural small businesses, and submitted 126 REAP grants. With a 96% grant approval rate, KEP has assisted in bringing the following benefits to Kansas businesses and the local economy:
• More than $4 million in Federal grant funding for energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy
• $1,722,738 in estimated annual energy cost savings when implemented
• 17,667,076 kWh estimated annual energy savings or production when implemented
The USDA REAP grant is a win-win for Kansas agricultural producers, rural small businesses and local economies. For every $1.00 invested, assistance has helped $3.37 of USDA Rural Development funds stay within the State of Kansas (if pending projects are awarded, this increases to $5.57). When only one year of potential energy cost savings are included, this results in more than $7 of benefits for every $1.00 spent. Many projects are designed to last 20 or more years.
“Engineering Extension programs are certainly an element for achieving the goals of the K-State 105 initiative,” says David Carter, Director, Engineering Extension. “Programs within Engineering Extension – the Pollution Prevention Institute, Small Business Environmental Assistance Program, Kansas Radon Programs, and Kansas Energy Program – have provided services in all 105 Kansas counties and have had a multi-million-dollar impact on those business and their local economies.”