On Tuesday, November 14, seventy participants gathered at Kildee Farms in Culpeper to learn about the substantive new financial incentives for agricultural solar. This workshop, hosted by The Piedmont Environmental Council, focused on three substantial incentives: USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for improving energy efficiency and/or installing renewable energy, the federal investment tax credit (ITC), and monetizing solar systems with solar renewable energy certificates (SREC’s). We also had a deep dive on the development cycle of an on-site system and presentations from two local working ag businesses that have successfully made the switch to solar energy.
There was robust discussion and deep, granular questions from the audience for all of the topics, including USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (Solar United Neighbors), DIY and developer-based solar systems on working ag (Powers Brewery and Clifton Farms), Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (Sun Tribe), and the solar project process (Tiger Solar). Many attendees took advantage of the opportunity to sign up for quotes from SunDay Solar, Tiger Solar and Virtue Solar.
A big thank you to our co-sponsors, Minority and Veteran Farmers of the Piedmont, Culpeper Soil and Water Conservation District, American Farmland Trust. Thank you also to the Lazar Foundation, whose funding made this event possible, and Kildee Farms in Culpeper, VA, who graciously hosted the event.
Below please find a list of the presenters, their contact information, and links to the presentations. Feel free to share with anyone else who may be interested in learning more.
Have questions? Send an email to Ashish Kapoor akapoor@pecva.org.
Presentations
Helpful Resources
- 30% Federal Investment Tax Credit:
- 50% USDA Rural Energy for America Program walkthrough guide:
- Solar Renewable Energy Certificates trading options:
Contact Information
The Piedmont Environmental Council – Solar on the Farm Welcome
Ashish Kapoor /Senior Energy and Climate Policy Analyst
(540) 347-2334 x7054
akapoor@pecva.org
Solar United Neighbors – USDA REAP, Incentives and Tax Credits
Corey Ramsden/VP of Go Solar Programs, Solar United Neighbors
(202) 845-8476
corey@solarunitedneighbors.org
Clifton Farms – DIY System on a Cattle Farm
Robert Ellis/Owner, Ellis Family Clifton Farms
Sun Tribe – Renewable Energy Certificates – Monetizing your system in the REC market
Ian Ayers/Vice-President of Aggregation, Sun Tribe Trading
(434) 216-2090
ian.ayers@suntribetrading.com
Powers Brewery – Solar on a Brewery
Kevin Powers/Owner, Powers Brewery
powersfarmbrewery@gmail.com
Tiger Solar – Solar Installation Process
Russ Edwards/President, Tiger Solar
(434) 293-3763
edwardsr@tigersolar.com
Photos
