A recent post on the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) website highlights government funding programs for small wind projects.
These include the Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, that was included in the Energy Title of the Farm Bill. The REAP program is designed to help farmers and small businesses with grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. It provides as much as 25-percent of a project's cost — up to $500,000 per project — and loan guarantees for project development.
According to the DOE, REAP has funded about 350 projects of various sizes totalling more than $53,000,000. For 2010, REAP funding is being increased by nearly 40% to a total of approximately $100,000,000 dollars.
Other funding is available through the 2009 Recovery Act's Treasury Grant Program, which provides up front cash grants for 30% of the total capital costs of wind projects. The program is effective through 2012 for most large wind power projects. For smaller projects, however, the program is effective through 2016 and covers individual turbines of 100 kilowatts or less that are suitable for farm use.
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