North Carolina reached a milestone this year as a national and regional leader in solar energy, but the expiration of a key state tax credit threatens to undermine that success. Solar power installations in the state surpassed a combined 1 gigawatt in capacity for the first time recently, according to a clean energy census by […]
When Pope Francis in his Encyclical Laudato Si told us to care for the earth, St. Eugene Catholic Church took up the challenge. The day before the Pope’s visit St. Eugene in north Asheville began installing 146 solar panels. When completed, this will produce 46,720 watts of power. The project was announced on Solar Sunday, March 8 and fund-raising was completed six months and a day later.
Time may be running out on the North Carolina renewable-energy tax credits, and, if so, “it may not be possible for congregations to put their faith into action,” cautions Susannah Tuttle, executive director of N.C. Interfaith Power and Light.
Now that the cost of ‘going solar’ on a home is equivalent to buying a new car, the challenge is no longer technical but affordable financing. America’s ubiquitous automobiles would not be us without financing. So why not finance solar in the same fashion? This question and others regarding investing in clean energy, from residential […]
On May 30, Clean Energy for Western North Carolina, the Garden Club for America’s local French Broad chapter and Audubon North Carolina (NC) will be hosting their first Solar Saturday event to “kick off” this summer season.
“Having the citizens be able to choose what kind of power they will pay for is so very, very long overdue.”
St. Eugene Catholic Church in North Asheville announced earlier this month that it will install 146 solar panels this year.
It was heartening to read the story about First Congregational United Church of Christ’s commitment to get as far off the electric grid as possible. The stated goal is to completely offset their power consumption. Their fundraising event as described in the Conscious Party article [“Souls for Solar,” March 11, Xpress] was a great way […]
Kelly Martin of the Western North Carolina Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal initiative spoke at the Council of Independent Business Owners’ Friday, Feb. 7, meeting to address future goals and investments that could help wean the region off coal energy dependency.
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)
After a final inspection, project leaders anticipate that the new, six-acre “solar farm” at the Biltmore Estate will begin delivering power to Antler Hill Village next week.
Photos by Bill Rhodes.
At its August 2 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners approved a measure that paves the way for Enka High School to install solar panels on its roof. The move means that Enka can move forward with plans to install both photovoltaic and solar water heating systems on the roof beginning in September.
