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SACRAMENTO – Today, the California Energy Commission awarded more than $15 million in grants to 37 farmers and food producers as part of a portfolio of efforts designed to help achieve the state’s climate and clean energy goals.

The projects are funded through California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that uses cap-and-trade dollars to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, strengthen the economy, and improve public health and the environment.

The Renewable Energy for Agriculture Program (REAP) is providing nearly $9 million for solar energy and electric vehicle fast chargers on farms, orchards, vineyards, and other facilities in top agricultural counties statewide. The 32 awardees are also helping to finance the projects with nearly $5 million in match funding. Overall, the Energy Commission received 98 applications for the program requesting double the amount of available dollars.

“The strong demand for these dollars and significant matched funding from the awardees shows that renewable and efficiency projects continue to make sense for California’s agricultural community,” said Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild. “These investments play an important role as the state moves to a clean electric grid and carbon neutrality by mid-century.”

In addition, the Energy Commission approved $6.6 million from the Food Production Investment Program (FPIP) for state-of-the-art energy saving technologies at five large food agricultural facilities that process food, including tomatoes, baked goods, and other products.