The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced $63 million in loans and grants for its Rural Energy for America Program.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says more than $48 million of that will go toward 14 solar and energy efficiency projects in North Carolina.
"These are small grants in some cases, a couple thousand dollars, and in some cases, very, very large grants and loans. The loans can be as much as $2 or 3 million. It's projects of all sizes, and it's really designed to expand the utilization of renewable energy and to enhance energy efficiency efforts in rural America."
Vilsack says these energy programs mean less infrastructure costs for utilities, which save money for rural customers.