Sportsman Boats in Summerville, S.C., received a grant from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture to fund the installation of a solar array system at the company’s plant.
The $289,558 grant is part of a $35.19 million investment the USDA is making in South Carolina businesses through loans and grants as part of its Rural Energy for America Program.
Sportsman was one of 10 South Carolina companies and more than 600 businesses nationwide that the USDA said would be receiving a share of $241.6 million in REAP funding.
This is the second time Sportsman has received money through the program. In 2017, the USDA gave the company a $294,043 grant to construct its first solar-panel array, which comprised 2,394 panels with a life expectancy of 25 years that produce about 19,000 kilowatt hours of energy a day.
“Sportsman Boats is a leader in the marine industry for the importance of renewable energy, and we appreciate the support in the second million-dollar phase of our project,” company president Tommy Hancock told the local ABC affiliate. “We look forward to future projects, as well.”
