USDA Reap Grant awarded to St. Joe Veterinary Clinic

Evansville, Indiana - The St. Joe Veterinary Clinic has been awarded a USDA Reap Grant for incorporating a solar energy system at their facility in Evansville, Indiana. The $73,360 awarded to the veterinary clinic is one of the first solar plus storage projects awarded by the USDA in Indiana. The 30KW solar energy system will generate 40,000 KWH's per year to offset the clinic's electrical consumption and is coupled to an energy storage system consisting of four Tesla Powerwall's. The energy storage system will allow the veterinary clinic to provide critical care to their patients during emergency power outages and lower the overall electricity cost of the business. The project also incorporates an Electric Vehicle charging station to allow EV owners to charge their vehicle while at the clinic.

The USDA Reap Grant program now covers up to 40-50% of a solar project depending on the location of the farm or business. The recently passed Inflationary Reduction Act created additional tax credits for businesses located in 'Energy Communities', (www.energycommunities.com) or communities which have had historically high economic reliance on fossil fuel extraction and processing industries. A large portion of Southwest Indiana is designed as an Energy Community which allows agricultural farming operations and rural small businesses in these areas to be eligible for the additional grant funding and tax credits.

On March 16th, 2024, a USDA Reap Grant information seminar will be held at Sandy's Pizza in Ft. Branch, Indiana at 11:00am. Farmers and business owners located in the tri-state area can RSVP here: https://www.mortonsolar.com/solarisforeveryone Free pizza will be provided to those that register to attend.