Rural Energy for America Program

NREL partners with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which brings renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants to agricultural producers and rural small business owners.

NREL provides technical support and resources to the USDA REAP, through which $145 million will be allocated to expand access to renewable energy and reduced energy costs for rural communities. The $145 million will fund 700 loan and grant awards to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments to lower energy costs. Learn more about NREL’s partnership with USDA.

Renewable Energy Technology Webinars

Learn more about renewable energy resource basics and renewable energy technologies eligible for REAP funding through informational webinars.

Review recent webinar recordings on YouTube and slides to learn more about energy technologies:

USDA REAP Funding Your Hydropower Energy Project recording
USDA REAP Funding Your Hydropower Project slides

USDA REAP Funding for Your Distributed Wind Energy Project webinar recording
USDA REAP Funding for Your Distributed Wind Energy Project presentation slides

USDA REAP Funding for Your Solar + Storage Energy Project webinar recording
USDA REAP Funding for Your Solar + Storage Energy Project presentation slides

USDA REAP Funding for Your Geothermal Energy Project webinar recording
USDA REAP Funding for Your Geothermal Energy Project presentation slides

National Association of Farm Broadcasters Audio Segments

The National Association of Farm Broadcasters produces audio segments on YouTube with renewable energy technology experts that are designed to assist REAP applicants. New segments will be posted here as they are available.

What Is a Hydropower Energy Project? Defining Projects for REAP Applicants on YouTube: NREL’s Elise DeGeorge defines hydropower energy projects that may fall under the scope of projects for the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program.

Rural Energy for America Program Provides Funding for On-Farm Small-Scale Wind Projects on WINDExchange: Ian Baring-Gould, NREL senior project leader, discusses distributed wind energy, certified wind turbines, and USDA-REAP funding for distributed wind energy projects on U.S. farmland.

Fundamental Energy Concepts Will Help REAP Applicants Design Viable Projects on YouTube: NREL’s Tony Jimenez discusses fundamental energy concepts that may be helpful to applicants under the USDA’s REAP.

USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program Provides Funding for On-Farm, Solar and Storage Project on YouTube: NREL’s Tony Jimenez defines solar + storage projects that may be eligible for funding under USDA’s REAP.

What Is a Solar Energy Project? Defining Projects for REAP Applicants on YouTube: NREL’s Andy Walker defines solar energy projects that may fall under the scope of projects for the USDA’s REAP.

The Rural and Agricultural Income and Savings From Renewable Energy Initiative

The U.S. Department of Energy and the USDA launched an initiative to help farmers cut costs and increase income using underutilized renewable energy technologies. Through the Rural and Agricultural Income and Savings From Renewable Energy (RAISE) initiative, USDA is setting an initial goal of helping 400 individual farmers deploy smaller-scale wind projects using USDA's REAP. Additionally, the Department of Energy announced $2.5 million in funding to support the testing, certification, and commercialization of the latest distributed wind technologies, including for the agricultural sector, and $1.5 million to support outreach and the identification and development of new business models for farmers to save money and earn income deploying these technologies.

2024 Distributed Wind Energy Summit

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory held the 2024 Distributed Wind Energy Summit on Sept. 17, 2024, in collaboration with NREL. The event included participants with all levels of background in wind energy to learn, discuss, and act on distributed wind energy goals and outcomes. Event slides, recordings, and other resources from the event are available on the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory event webpage.

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