Tennessee farms, ranches and rural small businesses have received $6.5 million in renewable energy grants and loans in the past three years, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released this morning.
Of the 98 grants and loans, most of the money went to 69 solar projects, including a handful in Middle Tennessee. Recipients have included a custom saddler in Lebanon, a medical clinic in Dickson, the family-run GroWild nursery in Fairview, which specializes in plants and trees native to the state, and Adventureworks recreation and team-building center in Kingston Springs.
Grants coming to Tennessee have increased each of the past three years, placing the state 13th in the nation for money awarded to companies, mostly through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). State projects have received more than $4 million in grants and $2.5 million in loan guarantees.
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