Powering Tomorrow: How Clean Energy New Hampshire (CENH) is Helping Communities Shape an Energy Future that Works for Everyone

Energy is the backbone of communities across New Hampshire, powering our homes, small businesses, and local farms every day. It’s so reliable we hardly notice it: the power lines we drive past on the way to work, the light that flicks on with a simple switch. But as we look to the future of our state’s energy usage, critical questions arise: What does a strong energy future look like for New Hampshire? How do we build a system that’s clean, resilient, and sustainable for generations to come?

Local farm, Bascom Farm. Image Credit: Bascom Farms

That’s where Clean Energy NH (CENH) steps in: helping communities shape an energy future that works for everyone. 

Operating across the Granite State, CENH’s mission is focused on leading the charge for a sustainable energy future. Whether it be expanding renewable energy, energy efficiency, and beneficial electrification, the team advances the clean energy transition for all through policy advocacy, technical assistance, and coalition-building with municipalities, residents, and local stakeholders. 

Providing free technical assistance for New Hampshire communities, the Energy Circuit Rider (ECR) program began in Coös County in 2019 with one circuit rider, and has since expanded across the state to include seven team members that cover agricultural producers, small businesses, and municipalities in the North Country, Monadnock, Seacoast, and Sullivan County regions. Circuit Riders travel across the state to provide no-cost technical assistance that help communities plan, finance, and implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. These projects range from solar arrays, to building upgrades, to electric vehicle chargers. 

Bascom Farm Road. Image Credit: Bascom Farms

In 2024, CENH received a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to expand their no-cost circuit rider services specifically to assist farms and small businesses in accessing USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funding. REAP provides grants covering up to 25% of eligible project costs for energy efficiency and renewable energy investments; such as solar, wind, geothermal, anaerobic digestors, weatherization, lighting, energy efficient equipment, and more. 

The REAP program has made a significant impact for New Hampshire businesses from the beginning. In 2024, Clean Energy NH helped Bascom Farm in Charlestown, NH apply for a REAP grant to install a 6.25 kW dual axis solar tracker system that provides cheap and consistent energy production year round. They were awarded funds in early 2025 and broke ground on the project this summer. Their project will save them an estimated $1,500 on electricity every year, with their cost savings being reinvested into their farm operations. The result? Bascom can replace 94% of the energy they would have bought from their utility company with energy they produced themselves. 

Solar Tracker System installed at Bascom Farms. Image Credit: Bascom Farms

Projects like Bascom’s are being built on farms and small businesses across New Hampshire. With rising energy costs posing as a significant burden for many owners,  CENH is ready to help farms and small businesses invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy generation ​​technologies to provide resiliency, stability, and energy savings for years to come. As an approved REAP technical assistance provider, their team offers no-cost support in navigating program eligibility, writing applications, and ensuring projects get built after they have been awarded. 

Bascom Farms, sheep and lambs. Image Credit: Bascom Farms

Interested in energy-saving projects for your farm? Find out if you're eligible for REAP grant funding by attending our workshop that we are co-hosting with the Cheshire County Conservation District on November 5th, 2025 at 5pm at the Monadnock Co-op. We’ll follow up to discuss your options and next steps. The next deadline is December 31, 2025.