Biden administration announces nearly $11 billion for renewable energy in rural communities

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

BY DREW COSTLEY today

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a nearly $11 billion investment on Tuesday to help bring affordable clean energy to rural communities throughout the country.

Rural electric cooperatives, renewable energy companies and electric utilities will be able to apply for funding through two programs, U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said during a media briefing on Monday.

Vilsack said it was the largest single federal investment in rural electrification since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Rural Electrification Act in 1936 as part of the New Deal.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the Rural Utility Service to work collaboratively with our great partners, the Rural Electric cooperatives, in order to advance a clean energy future for rural America,” Vilsack said. “So this is an exciting and an historic day, and it continues an ongoing effort to ensure that rural America is a full participant in this clean energy economy.”




Read more: https://apnews.com/article/climate-environment-biden-solar-wind-renewable-energy-abf79c38d380172023c8e9978746b54c

[mopinko]

1. i hope it includes anaerobic digesters on cafo's.

such a win-win-win.
the town of amana ia is powered by a digester in a single dairy farm. iirc, it was about a $20m investment, including a sewer system to automatically funnel the manure.

https://www.kcrg.com/2021/06/10/our-town-using-cattle-power-up-amana/

[Bayard]

2. That's amazing and exciting!

With all the huge cattle farms across the country, you'd think this would be going in like crazy. And its relatively cheap!

[mopinko]

4. it is. and it solves such a huge problem.

there’s so much low hanging fruit in ag. i found out about this that time there was a big stink about cow farts and climate change. msnbc did a segment explaining that it was belches, actually, but also this.
unfortunately that’s the last i heard it mentioned.

[Bayard]

8. Big stink

I'm wondering its any animal that chews a cud. I know when our goats are chewing and they blarp it'll knock you over.

[mopinko]

10. lol. prolly. ever been around a whale when it blows?

ermagerd. from 50’ away it’s like a solid object.
wonder how much that adds up to.

[Backseat Driver]

5. I've read about these but only in the context of "regenerative farming" creating

biochar of plant and now animal(?) waste products to rehab field soil nutrients. Interesting that they've added an alternative energy process for production of local grid electricity requirements - My all-electric apt comes from underground lines, too. Very rarely have we had storm-caused power failures, a few from transformer station failures though--not from initial grid issues. Also, see "The Need to Grow" documentary.

Does this fed funding allocation also have anything to do with partnership with the corporations' faster builds of start-up filtering from the Salton Sea lithium plants for the creation of rechargeable batteries to more quickly switch from fossil-fueled vehicles?

Seems that overheating caused fires that destroyed the apparatus that created the end resources/products in both situations - lithium batteries in vehicles, cell phones, and biochar fertilizers that enrich soils growing nutrient dense grains/food for animals and humans. Can more/better alarm sensors end these?

[twodogsbarking]

3. Very smart thinking. States should take notice.

[TeamProg]

6. 'Big Coal Manchin' won't like it.. nt

[Lulu KC]

7. In rural areas near us

there are signs saying, "Just say no to solar" and "no wind farms." Why I stay in the city! Depresses me every time.

[sybylla]

9. As a rural electric coop customer, I am thrilled to see this.

My current board is in thrall of conservative idiots and anti-green energy nutjobs. They will only do green energy if they can figure out a way to make extra money at it (like ground source heat pumps). And they absolutely refuse to buy back excess electricity from solar and wind, which makes most green energy projects unaffordable. They can do this because there is an exception in WI state law that allows rural electric coops exceptions from the rules governing other electric utilities. Heck, they even had to be shamed in area newspapers into participating in the energy efficiency rebate program most people can get through their electric utilities.

Neighboring rural electric coops are doing better - my son lives under one that offers solar installation through partnerships, windmills, and buying back excess as well as offering off-peak pricing.