In Storm-Battered North Carolina, Solar 'Beehives' Are Keeping the Lights On

In storm-battered North Carolina, solar 'beehives' are keeping the lights on

Small-scale solar microgrids for Appalachian communities could help keep communities warm and fed during future blackouts.

Two years after Helene, North Carolina rolls out solar 'beehives' for disaster backup

Two years after Hurricane Helene, communities like Burnsville, North Carolina, are installing solar panels and battery storage as part of a statewide microgrid project to protect residents from suffering through post-hurricane issues like blackouts and extreme flooding.  The hope is that, should another natural disaster like Helene hit, residents will be protected by backup power that can help keep critical services and needs available.  What's …

Post–Hurricane Helene, this community is getting creative with solar

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Nearly two years after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on western North Carolina’s largest city, many Asheville residents are still rebuilding — and determined to be better prepared for the next weather disaster. In Emma, a diverse, mostly immigrant neighborhood just northwest of downtown, solar…

A Swarm of Solar ‘Bees’ Are Coming to Western North Carolina Community Hubs

By Grist Nearly two years ago, Hurricane Helene knocked out power in Burnsville, North Carolina. Fire Chief Niles Howell had to use the station’s generator to keep everything running. Through the storm, and the devastating flooding that followed, the fire department provided a landing pad for helicopters, a base for search-and-rescue operations, and a field hospital to triage and treat the wounded. But even in less trying times, Howell can’t ris…