RurAL CAP connects small businesses — including fishing boats — with federal energy dollars

Fishing vessels moored successful Sitka (File/KCAW)

Federal dollars are disposable to thief Alaska businesses successful agrarian areas make improvements successful power efficiency.

The Rural Energy for America Program – aliases REAP – is simply a programme of nan U.S. Department of Agriculture. A statewide nonprofit statement called RurAL CAP is providing method assistance for anyone willing successful diving into nan exertion process.

Shae Bowman is an power improvement master pinch RurAL CAP, who discussed nan programme pinch nan Sitka Chamber of Commerce earlier this month.

She said that nan Rural Energy for America Program  is often associated pinch processing renewable power – typically star panels. And while star isn’t retired of nan mobility for rainy Southeast Alaska anymore, location are different opportunities for making power improvements that could beryllium much practical.

“So that could beryllium upgrading appliances aliases installing power pumps, aliases upgrading your lighting to beryllium LED lighting,” Bowman said. “It could beryllium adding amended insulation to your business, aliases if your business is being heated by, for example, diesel fuel, possibly it’s nan move complete to power pumps if your organization has a hydroelectric plant.”

Bowman said immoderate of nan astir charismatic businesses for power backing are really commercialized sportfishing boats. There are important opportunities for power upgrades that aren’t needfully obvious.

“Some of those projects person been getting star panels connected nan boat, expanding nan capacity of nan food hold, aliases insulating nan food hold,” she said. “It could beryllium benignant of difficult to spot really these would beryllium connected to your power efficiency, but if you summation nan capacity of your food clasp erstwhile you’re a commercialized fishermen, that would mean you’re perchance making little trips to nan tender, truthful you’re burning little diesel fuel. If you person a better-insulated hold, past you’re not expending arsenic overmuch power to support your food cold.”

Bowman says that REAP covers 50% of nan costs of these projects, which tin beryllium a immense help, but nan exertion process tin beryllium daunting. An power appraisal aliases audit will beryllium needed depending connected nan size of nan project, arsenic good arsenic different logistical challenges. But, that’s what she’s location for: Helping to guideline applicants done nan process and link them pinch nan funding.

And sometimes it’s about not encouraging group to proceed pinch a lengthy application.

“And a batch of times, you know, group will motion up for method assistance, and we’ll talk done a project, and they’ll beryllium like, ‘Okay, I don’t cognize if this is simply a correct fit, aliases it’s a batch much activity than I was initially anticipating,’ and truthful they mightiness conscionable determine to money nan project, for illustration retired of pocket,” said Bowman. “Versus sometimes we get together and we talk astir a project, and they’re like, ‘Okay, I deliberation this is really going to beryllium worthy my time,’ and past we cognize really we tin move forward.”

Bowman’s programme was portion of nan Sitka Chamber of Commerce’s Summer Speaker Series.

The adjacent presenter successful nan Chamber’s bid will beryllium Rep. Rebecca Himschoot pinch a legislative update, astatine noon connected Wednesday.