Plenty! in Floyd receives $25K grant

Plenty! Farm & Food Pantry is moving a step closer to its vision of environmental sustainability with the installation of a new rooftop solar array. Thanks to grant funding from the Solar Moonshot Program, with an additional financial boost from a local donor, Plenty! will soon be reducing its carbon footprint while saving money to further their mission of growing and sharing food with Floyd County residents in need.

“We’re excited to assist Plenty! in making the switch to solar with a $25,000 grant from the Solar Moonshot Program, helping stop the climate crisis and moving us toward a zero carbon future,” said Tara Hammond, founder and CEO of Hammond Climate Solutions, which manages the program on behalf of Left Coast Fund.

“The Solar Moonshot Program has proudly helped over 60 nonprofits declare energy independence, saving money on electricity that is reinvested into communities across the country.” Plenty!’s new 12.96-kilowatt system being installed by SolShine Energy Alternatives, LLC out of Roanoke will produce 16,991 kilowatt-hours of electricity for an annual carbon-dioxide reduction equivalent of 15 acres of forest, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by annually by 2.6 passenger cars.

Under a net-metering arrangement, Plenty! will sell excess energy back to Appalachian Power. Plenty!’s mission is tied to the sustainability of the food system. The solar installation made possible by The Solar Moonshot Program will provide 100% of Plenty!’s energy needs resulting in ongoing cost savings that effectively become a financial annuity that will support Plenty!’s work of growing and sharing food for many years to come. Visit www.plentylocal.org for more information about Plenty! programs or how to get involved by donating money, food or time.

Nonprofit organizations needing financial assistance to go solar can apply for a Solar Moonshot Program grant by visiting www.solarmoonshot.org. Funding is expected to fully exhaust in the coming months, and priority will be given to nonprofit organizations that will be installing solar power systems this year, have a capital stack and community support.