Small businesses in southern Maine are in line for federal grants to help them save energy and grow their companies.
Nearly $530,000 from the Renewable Energy for America Program and Value Added Producer grants will be allocated to six Maine businesses, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, who sits on the committee with oversight of the U.S. Department of Agriculture programs.
Turtle Rock Farm in Brunswick will receive $250,000 under the producer program. The money will be used to expand the marketing, preservation and canning of organic vegetables. The project is expected to increase revenue to the farm, grow the customer base and increase the wholesale volume of Turtle Rock Farm.
Five businesses won grants through the renewable energy program. They are:
n T&D Wood Energy of Sanford: $200,000. The company intends to build a midsized wood-pellet manufacturing facility, adjacent to an operating white pine sawmill. The project, which will use waste residue from the sawmill, is expected to generate enough electricity to power 15,142 homes.
n Mook Sea Farms, Walpole: $49,597. The grant will be used to buy and install a solar array for this oyster farm. The project is expected to save the company $14,238 per year in energy costs.
n Flying Frog of Freeport: $19,496. The commercial property company will use the grant to buy and install a solar array, which will benefit its tenant, Buck’s Naked BBQ, by generating about 11 percent of its electricity.
n Mallory Property Holdings of Newcastle: $6,465. A real estate holding company, Mallory Property intends to use the grant money to buy and install a solar array at Split Rock Distillery, which it owns. The array will help the distillery save about $1,330 a year in energy costs.
n Porchside Properties of Dresden: $4,228. The company will use the money to install a solar array at Porchside Veterinary Care, saving the facility about $1,000 a year in electricity costs.
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