Thomasville business receives solar energy grant

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., recently announced a new federal grant for Thomas County totaling $153,250, made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, legislation championed by the Senator for its investments in the state.

The latest federal investment will be used to purchase and install a 135 kilowatt rack-roof mount solar energy system for a small business that operates a manufactured home processing facility. This project will replace 205,237 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough electricity to power 19 homes, and will result in $52,019 in annual savings.

“These latest investments in Thomas County and across Georgia will help our rural communities adopt energy efficient systems designed to save them money and better protect our planet and its resources,” Warnock said in a news release. “Our rural communities are the heart of our state, and too often get left behind when it comes to federal funding. So I’m deeply committed to continuing my work in Washington to reverse that trend in Georgia.”

The grant is part of a larger set of federal investments announced by Sens. Warnock and Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., to assist Georgia farmers, rural small businesses, and local governments in developing renewable energy systems and in making energy-efficient improvements to their operations. The investments will go toward solar power, electric irrigation, poultry house upgrades, and other rural community development projects in five counties throughout the state.

The funds were made possible by the IRA, which provided $2 billion to the Rural Energy for America Program for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvement grants for agricultural producers and rural small business owners. With the infusion of funds from the IRA, local communities will see greater federal support to cover the cost of energy efficiency projects.

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