Despite being one of the fastest growing industries in the country, solar isn’t a very diverse field: In fact, only 19 percent of solar jobs are held by women. But with the technology becoming increasingly affordable and the number of jobs in the industry increasing, professionals working in the field say solar is taking off — and providing women with a lot of new opportunities.
From the Get It! Guide: Alternative energy has long been considered a fringe service provider. But with efficient and affordable advances in technology, juicy state and federal tax incentives and the ability to keep both jobs and cash local, proponents say its time to consider alternative energy a serious plan for the future.
Of the 30 utility-scale solar projects built in the Southeast last year, 21 were in North Carolina. That’s the kind of good news business leaders heard when they gathered June 19 in Asheville to celebrate the successes and discuss the challenges facing the rapidly growing renewable energy industry. (pictured: Ivan Urlaub of the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association; photo by Max Cooper)
A June 19 conference in downtown Asheville will explore how clean-energy technologies contribute to the local economy.
Education officials, teachers and even some students are pushing to build cutting-edge new homes for Isaac Dickson Elementary and Asheville Middle School. The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners will consider the proposals soon, some of them questioning the need for high-tech designs when budgets are already stretched thin. Even supporters don’t know where the estimated $60 million cost might come from.
Last Thursday, Nov. 17, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it is providing loan guarantees to a series of projects to convert biomass to energy through USDA’s Rural Energy for America program. One of the award recipients is local and it’s led by Asheville Vice Mayor Brownie Newman.
Three Asheville area businesses are among the 25 named “North Carolina Companies to Watch” by CED and the Edward Lowe Foundation. Both are private, nonprofit organizations promoting entrepreneurial efforts in North Carolina. Hickory Nut Gap Farms, Moog Music, and FLS Energy are all slated to be honored at an awards ceremony September 21 in Durham.
Two local companies — First Light Solar Energy and Innova Homes — were recently awarded $61,000 and $51,160, respectively, from the North Carolina Green Business Fund.
Solar power is hot. Across Western North Carolina, a wave of solar projects have been announced over the past few months. The YWCA of Asheville plans to install 30 solar-thermal panels on its roof to heat water for the nonprofit’s pool and showers, and in Haywood County, a seven acre “solar farm” featuring more than […]
