WESTMINSTER, Vt. (WCAX) – A large solar project is being built in Westminster thanks, in part, to a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The project will power a popular business, and additional money is available for companies thinking about doing the same.
The Allen Brothers Market in Westminster has been in business since the 1950s. Over that time, the farmstand and store have slowly expanded, and now– a new venture. Soon, this entire complex will be powered 100% by solar.
The deli is usually busy during the lunch hour at the Allen Brothers Market just off Exit 5 of Interstate 91. Black and white photos on the wall are a reminder of days gone by.
Tim Allen bought the business from his dad in 1986.
“I decided being next to the interstate we should try to put a deli in, gas pumps, a garden center and make it more of a destination,” Allen said.
But all that infrastructure– which includes a refrigeration building out back– takes a lot of energy. The monthly electrical bill is around $15,000 if you include a second store down the road.
So the business is building a 3-acre solar array on a family-owned parcel a couple of miles away. A $780,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America program and federal tax credits are helping to make the $2 million project a reality.
“It makes sense as a business plan to move forward and set yourself up with sustainable power that’s not going to cost you any money down the road,” Allen said.
Any business looking to improve energy efficiency or add renewable energy is eligible for grants and guaranteed loans through the program.
“Biomass, wind, solar, geothermal and then in the energy-efficiency world it could be insulation and lighting and heating and cooling. Even like door and window replacements,” said Sarah Waring of USDA Rural Development.
The program aims to get more businesses that couldn’t otherwise afford it to think about their carbon footprint. And officials say more money is available than ever before.
“Almost 20 times our annual funding under the Inflation Reduction Act,” Waring said.
The project at the Allen Brother Market will likely power the entire complex and future plans are in the works.
“Obviously, we are still selling gasoline at our gas station but we hope to tie this in with EV stations as part of our plan down the road,” Allen said.
The business plans to break ground on the solar project in March and hopes to have the panels plugged into the grid by the height of summer.
