LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas has been awarded eight Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) investments totaling more than $307,000 to help lower energy costs, generate income, and create jobs for local farmers, ranchers, agricultural producers, and rural small businesses statewide.
Through the REAP program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture invests in rural communities to make energy efficiency improvements and install forms of clean energy.
“Powering rural Arkansans with modern, renewable energy infrastructure creates good-paying jobs and provides opportunities for people to drive economic prosperity and security,” said USDA Rural Development Arkansas State Director Jill Floyd. “This investment will help these rural businesses increase income, spur economic growth, address climate change, and lower energy costs. Investing in modernizing the infrastructure of rural Arkansas pays dividends by empowering opportunity and prosperity for the people who call those areas home.”
The REAP recipients are listed below:
- Collier Auto Supply, Inc. – $45,657 to install a 51.3 kilowatt (kW) solar array in its business operations in Harrison, Arkansas. The project is expected to save $3,365 and replace 67,347 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually (99 percent of historic usage).
- NEA Veterinary Clinic, Inc. – $33,688 to install a 49.68 kilowatt (kW) solar array for their business operations in Corning, Arkansas. The project is expected to save the clinic $6,443 and generate 80,228 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually.
- Papoloco, LLC – $69,084 to install a 48.5 kilowatt (kW) solar array for a shopping center in Wynne, Arkansas. The project is expected to generate 72,631 kilowatt hours (kWh) and save $5,728 annually.
- B, E & S Partnership – $49,655 to the agricultural producer to install an energy-efficient grain monitoring system for their grain bins in Hoxie, Arkansas. The project is expected to save $21,063 and generate 295,893 kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy annually.
- Batteau Blackwood Farms, LLC – $48,600 to install a 54 kilowatt (kW) solar array for one of their commercial manufacturing rental properties in Witter, Arkansas. The project is expected to save $5,083 and replace 68,809 kilowatt hours (kWh) (122 percent of historic usage) annually.
- DK Wright Properties, LLC – $27,802 to install a 9.4 kilowatt (kW) solar array to a commercial rental property in Hector, Arkansas. The project is expected to generate 11,293 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually.
- Ink Properties, LLC – $32,363 to retrofit its existing renewable energy system with solar photovoltaic upgrades, including installation of new inverters and batteries for a rental cabin in Harriet, Arkansas. The discontinued use of a generator will save $5,431 and 2,282 gallons of propane annually.
- Curtiss Scott – $39,375 to install a 32-kilowatt (kW) solar array for poultry operations in Cave City, Arkansas. The project is expected to replace 46,772 kilowatt hours (kWh) annually (73 percent of historic usage) and save $4,958 per year in energy costs.
To learn more about how and where these investments are benefitting rural America, visit the Rural Data Gateway.