October 9, 2024
Kansas Energy Program technical assistance secures $5.6M in grant awards, empowering rural communities
The Kansas Energy Program, or KEP, in collaboration with the Kansas Corporation Commission Energy Office and USDA Rural Development, provides free technical assistance to rural small businesses and agricultural producers when applying for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP, grant.
The REAP grant has historically provided up to 25% reimbursement of eligible costs for energy efficiency or renewable energy projects to eligible applicants. However, following the Inflation Reduction Act, this reimbursement amount has doubled to a maximum of 50%, leading to an increase in applications.
From January 2016 through June 2024, KEP has completed 200 energy assessments or technical reports and 125 REAP grant applications, resulting in more than $5.6 million of federal grant money awarded to Kansas rural small businesses and agricultural producers. In just the past two fiscal years, KEP has submitted 47 grant applications, securing $4.3 million in grant awards.
With an impressive approval rate of 96.7% on its grant submissions, KEP continues to expand its reach, assisting more businesses and agriculture producers across the state. Providing small business assistance in 73 counties since 2016, KEP's work advances the K-State 105 initiative, which seeks to enhance economic prosperity in all 105 Kansas counties.
"Without the REAP grant, many rural small businesses wouldn't be able to implement these energy efficiency or energy generation projects," said Ryan Hamel, energy specialist with the KEP. "The grant funding speeds up the company's return on investment, and the overall project improves their profit margin, benefits the local economy and environment, and sometimes even just allows a business to remain open."
Through its partnership with the Kansas Corporation Commission, KEP also provides energy education statewide through workshops, classroom presentations/activities, organized STEM programs such as the KidWind Challenge and K-12 Energy Benchmarking Project, and equipment loans — reaching more than 4,000 people across Kansas in state fiscal year 2024. This past May, Kansas KidWind saw a record number of teams invited to the World KidWind Challenge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Kansas Energy Program is part of the Engineering Extension at Kansas State University, alongside the National Radon Program and Pollution Prevention Institute.