Granted!

Posted on by Rebecca Bowe

At the outset of Progress Energy’s Community Energy Advisory Council meeting yesterday, a handful of checks were presented to various community members to aid their organizations. These grant recipients had sent in proposals for energy-efficiency projects, and Progress’ CEAC awarded a total of $25,000 to fund them. Below is a breakdown of the projects.

• The Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Foundation received $2,500 for the installation of a photovoltaic, solar-generation system in the Engineering and Applied Technology Division at A-B Tech. The goal is to provide educational and training support for green technology.

• The city of Asheville Housing Authority received $4,550 for the installation of solar hot water for at least 400 units of public housing. The grant funds will pay for a weeklong solar-energy training program, which 10 residents from public housing will complete as part of a contract with Appalachian Energy.

• The Clean Air Community Trust received $7,000 for its Youth Leadership in Energy Efficiency Project, a pilot program for a youth climate corps. This will allow students from Asheville-area high schools to perform energy-efficiency retrofits, and those students will lead volunteers in performing retrofits for low-income residents of the area.

• Haywood Community College received $6,000 for its Demonstration House — a permanent home built on campus with energy efficiency and conservation elements. The house will be used to train students in building, construction, electrical and plumbing practices for energy efficiency. The money will fund solar-hot-water and solar-heating-system installations.

• Mountain Housing Opportunities was awarded $4,100 to put toward the purchase of 853 compact-fluorescent light bulbs for installation in Crowell Park, its newest affordable-housing and apartment complex.

• The WNC Nature Center received $850 to purchase 100 CFLs as spotlights for their indoor exhibits.

— Rebecca Bowe, contributing editor

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