Moonshot Farm, based in East Windsor, New Jersey, has been awarded a USD 24,193 grant to convert one greenhouse to geothermal heating. This means that the farm can continue supplying cut flowers during the winter farms while saving the equivalent of around 2000 gallons of propane usage per year.
The grant was provided through the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The program grants funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses. The grant will cover 25% of the cost needed to convert the greenhouse to geothermal, with the rest to be covered by Moonshot Farm.
Work is expected to start by the fall of this year, with the target to start the supply of geothermal heating by winter. At completion, Moonshot Farm will have the first commercial geothermal greenhouse for cut flower production in New Jersey.
“Nearly all flowers sold in New Jersey between November and March are imported from abroad or grown using fossil fuels,” said Rebecca Kutzer-Rice of Moonshot Farm. “We are thrilled that the USDA has provided funding for this innovative project and hope to see more local growers exploring renewable energy on their farms.”
Source: www.thinkgeoenergy.com