Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council awarded $100,000 to expand renewable energy access in Athens County
May 30, 2021
By Ryan Maxin, The Athens Post
The Southeast Ohio Public Energy Council, or SOPEC, has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, to boost their Solar Access Pathways program in Athens.
On April 26, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown announced in a news release that SOPEC, an electricity aggregator, would be receiving the grant through the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, to provide free solar assessments to local businesses and agricultural producers.
Mathew Roberts, director of marketing for SOPEC, said the council applied for the funds through the Renewable Energy Development Assistance grant program, which falls under REAP. He also said SOPEC has received grants twice before, but this is the first time the funds will be used over a one-year period.
Along with being able to provide businesses with free solar assessments, Roberts said one of SOPEC’s main objectives is to educate the clients it works with.
Read more at the Athens Post: https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/05/renewable-energy-grant-athens-businesses-agriculture
Read Senator Brown’s Complete Press Release Here: https://www.brown.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/brown-rural-renewable-energy-development-athens-county
