USDA grants $4.3M to 21 renewable energy projects in Puerto Rico

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it is awarding $4.3 million in grants to 21 agriculture producers and rural small businesses in Puerto Rico to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements to lower their energy costs, generate new income and strengthen the resilience of their operation.

The local grants include a $1 million allocation to Supermercados Econo Inc., which it will use to purchase and install a 1,500 kilowatt (kW) photovoltaic (PV) solar system at its warehouse in Canóvanas. The system will be connected to a battery-backup energy-storage system to ensure the business has power.

The project will save the business $762,922 annually and replace 2,825,638 kilowatt-hours (kWh), enough energy to power 260 homes, the federal agency noted.

In all, the USDA is investing $266 million in 1,334 renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects in 47 states, Guam and Puerto Rico through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) program.

The following entities are also on the list of local projects: