CELINA — Farmers can save money with solar energy. So can other farm-related businesses. And grants and incentives exist that can help them get started.

So say the organizers of a March 22 workshop at Bella’s Italian Grille in Celina, who plan to shed light on those topics.

The Solar Energy in Agriculture Workshop will cover how farmers and businesses in rural areas can take advantage of incentives such as the federal renewable energy tax credits and the USDA renewable energy program to support their projects.

The workshop will feature five sessions by speakers from the farming community, the solar installer community, Key Bank, Ohio State University Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The sessions and speakers at the workshop will be:

• Considerations for On-Farm Solar Development’ by Eric Romich, energy development field specialist for OSU Extension.

• Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)’ by Christie Hooks, business program specialist for USDA’s Rural Development program.

• Farm Evaluation and System Design, Installation and Utility Interconnection’ by Scott Cluff, ag-commercial solar consultant for Athens, Ohio-based Third Sun Solar.

• Solar Energy Financing by Joe Paterniti, Key Bank Vice President, Energy Manager

• On-Farm Solar: Lessons Learned by former NASA scientist and farmer Ron Cull.

The program runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bella’s Italian Grille in Celina, Ohio.

Admission to the workshop is free, but advance registration is required. Contact Dennis Riethman at [email protected] or 419-586-2179 to register.

Third Sun Solar is an Athens, Ohio-based solar photovoltaic design and build firm. We are a woman-owned, certified B-Corporation, installing solar energy systems for homeowners, businesses, institutions and government entities across Ohio and the surrounding states for over 15 years. We’ve installed more than 500 solar energy systems, generating 10MW+ of energy in pursuit of our goal to accelerate the shift to clean energy. The team of solar consultants, engineers, and NABCEP-certified installers design optimized solar solutions and offer smart solar financing for every customer.