Energy Commission Awards $15 Million for Clean Energy Projects at Agricultural Facilities

For Immediate Release: June 12, 2019

Projects also feature electric vehicle fast charging and battery storage

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.

“Programs like these are crucial to helping more and more California farmers take on the challenge of reducing emissions and costs by incorporating clean energy technologies into their agricultural practices, especially in energy-intensive food processing,” said California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.

FPIP Awardees

• Initiative Foods, Fresno County
• Rich Products Corporation, Los Angeles County
• E & J Gallo Winery, Merced County
• Yosemite Foods, Inc., San Joaquin County
• Pacific Coast Producers, Yolo County

A list of REAP awardees can be found in the recipient chart. 

About the California Energy Commission 

The California Energy Commission is leading the state to a 100 percent clean energy future. It has seven core responsibilities: developing renewable energy, transforming transportation, increasing energy efficiency, investing in energy innovation, advancing state energy policy, certifying thermal power plants, and preparing for energy emergencies.

FPIP Recipients	Amount	City	County	Project Description
Baker Commodities, Inc.	$915,180	Vernon	Los Angeles	Install energy efficiency upgrades at its facility.
Baker Commodities, Inc.	$860,596	Kerman	Fresno	Install energy efficiency measures at its facility.
Blue Diamond Growers	$746,890	Sacramento	Sacramento	Install high-efficiency boilers at a nut processing facility.
California Dairies, Inc.	$3,002,821	Visalia	Tulare	Design, install, and operate a high-temperature solar thermal energy system at a dairy processing facility.
E & J Gallo Winery	$922,151	Livingston	Merced	Install a modernized refrigeration compressor system at a wine production facility.
Foster Poultry Farms	$2,666,652	Several locations	Fresno, Stanislaus, and Porterville	Install energy efficiency upgrades at five facilities: Livingston (Merced County), Turlock (Stanislaus County), Porterville (Tulare County), and two in Fresno (Fresno County).
Foster Poultry Farms	$3,852,554	Livingston	Merced	Install and upgrade existing electrical trailer yard infrastructure to enable transport refrigeration units to operate on grid electricity instead of diesel fuel.
Imperial Western Products, Inc.	$459,624	Several locations	Fresno and Riverside	Install energy efficiency upgrades at facilities in Coachella (Riverside County), Mira Loma (Riverside County), and Selma (Fresno County).
Ingomar Packing Company, LLC	$3,500,000	Los Banos	Merced	Install a microgrid at a tomato processing facility.
Initiative Foods	$730,076	Sanger	Fresno	Install energy efficiency upgrades at a facility.
Land O’ Lakes, Inc.	$2,842,368	Tulare	Vernon	Design, install, and operate a high-temperature solar thermal energy system at a dairy processing facility.
Olam West Coast, Inc.	$3,578,606	Lemoore	Kings	Design, install, and operate a high-temperature solar thermal energy system at a tomato processing facility.
Olam West Coast, Inc.	$2,010,745	Firebaugh	Fresno	Install an electrified drying system to replace a natural gas-fired drying system at a spice production facility.
Pacific Coast Producers	$2,806,326	Woodland	Yolo	Install a high-efficiency evaporator at a tomato processing facility.
Pacific Coast Producers	$2,915,387	Woodland	Yolo	Install a high efficiency evaporator and steam turbines at a tomato processing facility.
Rich Products Corporation	$1,760,944	Torrance	Los Angeles	Install an advanced, low global warming-potential refrigeration system at an industrial baking facility.
Saputo Cheese USA Inc.	$5,456,184	Tulare	Tulare	Design, install, and operate a high-temperature solar thermal energy center at a cheese production facility.
Smithfield Packaged Meats Corporation	$483,348	Vernon	Los Angeles	Install economizers to recover waste heat from high-temperature exhaust stacks to lower natural gas use in existing boilers at a meat packing facility.
Sun-Maid Growers of California	$805,584	Kingsburg	Fresno	Install an optimized compressed air system at a raisin production facility.
The Neil Jones Food Company	$3,000,000	Firebaugh	Fresno	Install a high-efficiency evaporator at a tomato processing facility.
Yosemite Foods, LLC	$381,000	Stockton	San Joaquin	Integrate a heat recovery system into an existing advanced refrigeration system to lower natural gas use at a meat processing facility dioxide refrigeration system.