File photo, Courtesy / USDA
Rhiannon Hampson
Updated: September 5, 2023
Grandy Organics among Maine producers to receive USDA funds for energy efficiency measures
Courtesy / Grandy Organics
Grandy Organics, a Hiram-based organic cereal manufacturer whose solar panels are shown here, has been awarded a $171,219 grant from the USDA to help install an energy-efficient HVAC system, stoves and a dishwasher.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $20 million in loans and grants to 45 Maine agricultural producers, rural small businesses and others for projects that access renewable energy and improve energy efficiency.
Funding comes from the Rural Energy for America Program, which is funded in part by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2021.
Maine recipients include 17 farms, 18 rural businesses, two cultural organizations, four solar companies and five working waterfront recipients, according to a Bangor-based spokeswoman for USDA Rural Development.
Recipients include Hiram-based food producer Grandy Organics, which will use a $171,219 grant to install energy-efficient HVAC, stoves and a dishwasher in a project expected to offset 56 barrels of oil usage and save $16,465 annually.
In Waldoboro, Lakin Foley LLC will use $19,540 to install a wood gasification boiler at East Forty Farm Creamery.
Outside the agricultural sector, commercial real estate firm and developer J.B. Brown & Sons has been awarded $600,000 to install a 856-kilowatt roof-mounted solar photovoltaic system in Bangor. Further details about the project were not immediately available.
USDA loans include $5.98 million to Crowley Solar LLC in Sabbatus; $4.38 million to Marshfield Solar LLC in Washington County: and $6.2 million to RE Gardiner Solar LLC in the central Maine town.
The Maine awards represent around 8% of the funds USDA is investing in 1,335 renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in 47 states, Guam and Puerto Rico.
“$20 million sounds like an abstract number but, in reality, it is 46 more Maine companies making tangible their commitment to our shared future with their own investments and the support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s groundbreaking [Inflation Reduction Act],” said Rhiannon Hampson, the USDA’s state director for Maine.
"We are so proud and fortunate to embark on this partnership with the USDA and the REAP grant to expand our facility while making our processes more energy-efficient,” said Aaron Anker, owner and CEO of Grandy Oats, who goes by the title chief granola officer.
“We’re one of the only crafters of granola who own our entire process, ensuring we work only with partners that are able to meet our high standards and help us grow not only our local economy, but also the organic market as a whole,” added Anker.
Anker spoke of his incremental approach to sustainability at last month’s Mainebiz Small Business Forum, noting that the food producer is only as good as its farmers and other suppliers.
Since December 2022, USDA has made up to $1.3 billion available in REAP funding through the Inflation Reduction Act. Eligible applicants include rural small business owners and agricultural producers. The latest funding is expected to drive over $500 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States.
Further details
Find the full list of Maine Rural Energy for America Program loan and grant recipients, amounts and project descriptions here. The USDA expects to make additional awards in the coming months.
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