Energy Audits, Renewable Energy Assessments, & Grant Writing

The Michigan Farm Energy Program (MFEP) strives to help farmers and rural small business owners in the state of Michigan by offering three services: Certified Energy Audits, Renewable Energy Assessments, and Grant writing. These services are designed to help farmers and rural small business owners identify ways they can reduce energy usage on-site, look at the viability of installing a renewable energy system, and attain additional funding to reduce the initial investment needed to make these improvements.

The purpose of getting a certified energy audit is to identify any potential energy conservation measures (ECMs) at the farm or business and analyze the potential yearly energy and dollar savings. Conducting a certified energy audit involves scheduling an in-person sight visit to the farm or business. During this site visit, the auditor will document any energy-consuming systems or devices such as: lighting, motors, pumps, water heaters, space heaters, air conditioning units, grain dryers, air compressors, or any other systems or devices that use energy. Energy usage includes electricity, natural gas, and propane. Once the site visit is completed, the auditor will create a baseline energy usage based on the existing systems and devices, using estimated yearly hours of operation. The auditor will then look for ways to save energy and money by looking at newer and more energy efficient technologies. This will be compared to the baseline energy usage to determine estimated yearly energy and money savings. The final step of this process involves scheduling a follow-up online meeting to allow the auditor to present their findings and gather any final additional details to include in the certified energy audit. Once the certified energy audit is completed, it can be used when applying for rebates or grants that can help subsidize the cost of the new, more energy efficient systems or devices.

The purpose of getting a Renewable Energy Assessment is to identify the viability of installing a renewable energy system, such as a solar photovoltaic (PV) array. The viability of installing a renewable energy system is broken down into five categories: economic, technical, market, financial, and management. Conducting a renewable energy assessment involves scheduling an online meeting with the farmer or rural small business owner to have a chance to discuss the potential project and gather any additional details needed for the renewable energy assessment. The final step of this process involves scheduling a follow-up online meeting to allow the auditor to present their findings on the viability of installing a renewable energy system, and to gather any potential final details pertaining to the project. Like with the certified energy audits, once the renewable energy assessment is completed, it can be used when applying for rebates or grants that can help subsidize the cost of the new renewable energy system.
If you are not interested in a full renewable energy assessment, we can run a quick simulation using NREL's PVWatts calculator and System Advisor Model (SAMs) that only looks at the potential solar PV array's projected energy generation.

In most cases, the cost of installing a new renewable energy system or implementing newer and more energy efficient devices or systems is very high. To help reduce this cost and make the projects more viable, the farmer or rural small business owner can apply for rebates and grants. The MFEP offers grant writing services that farmers and rural small business owners in the state of Michigan can take advantage of. We encourage farmers and rural small business owners to look at the grant applications first to see if they can fill them out on their end. If they decide that the applications are to much, we can assist in writing and submitting the grant.

Michigan Agricultural Energy Council (MAEC)