For nearly 50 years, Richard Smith has lived and worked on his farm in Morris. No stranger to the area, he grew up four miles from his current farm, where his sister lives now. Smith grows a variety of crops on his farm—including corn, beans, wheat, and alfalfa—and raises cattle, lamb, and hens, among other animals.

One day, after flipping through a farm magazine and reading an article about solar power, Smith began to dig a little deeper into implementing renewable energy on his farm.

“I learned about grants and federal tax credits. I thought it sounded like a good deal, and it’s good for the environment, so I checked into it,” Smith said.

Smith spoke with professionals at a nearby solar experiment station and at an energy equipment supplier before committing to a solar array on his farm. His project was made possible with the help of USDA Rural Development’s Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP). Smith received a $19,999 REAP Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grant to install his solar array. A nonprofit in Pennsylvania completed the remainder of Smith’s grant work.

Smith described the placement of the solar array on his sheep’s pasture as the perfect placement.

“I put the solar array in there, and the sheep still have their pasture, but now they have shade,” Smith said.  

After the grants and federal tax credits, Smith estimates that his solar array project will be paid off in 10 years, with another 15 years of life left afterwards under warranty. Smith’s 46 kilowatt (kW) solar array was completed and running in January of 2023. For the first year, Smith recorded $7,500 in annual energy savings.

“It works out to be a pretty good deal. It’s not taking up any space, and I get free use of energy that is going to waste otherwise,” Smith said.

REAP provides guaranteed loan grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to make energy efficiency improvements. To learn more, visit Minnesota’s REAP web page.