This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
When Hurricane Helene struck, Firestorm Books in Asheville became a vital community center, offering a space for exchanging supplies. Despite having solar panels, the bookstore faced challenges in maximizing their utility due to the lack of energy storage. This situation hampered their ability to provide key services such as food refrigeration and charging stations for power tools after dark.
“A lot of people were contributing and donating perishables, but we weren’t really able to hold those because we didn’t have operational generators,” said Libertie Valance, a staff member at Firestorm. “People weren’t able to charge power tools. There were a lot of people coordinating things like tree removal from around our space.”
In search of a solution, Firestorm connected with the Footprint Project, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing small-scale renewable energy installations in disaster-hit areas. The organization contributed an inverter and 20 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, complemented by a zero-interest loan from the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund to facilitate installation. Now, Firestorm can operate independently from the grid during emergencies.
“That will run our building for about 24 hours without the sun being out,” Valance noted.
Devin Williams, a project manager for the Footprint Project, described this initiative as part of a broader effort to enhance community resilience through renewable energy. The group, originating from New Orleans, expanded its efforts to Asheville following Hurricane Helene.
“And then there was just a huge need,” Williams observed, regarding the impact seen in Western North Carolina, prompting them to establish a base in Asheville.
This expansion has led to a significant collaboration with the state. As part of a project funded by the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Footprint is working on community resilience hubs, or “beehives”, across the region. The federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocated $10.4 million to the State Energy Office, with $5 million designated for a microgrid initiative. This funding aims to install up to 24 stationary systems at crucial sites, such as a fire station in Burnsville.
“In case there’s another outage, you know, these places can stay online and stay running to help serve the community,” Williams stated.
For Valance, Firestorm’s move towards renewable energy represents a meaningful step. They highlighted the reduced reliance on Duke Energy’s Lake Julian gas plant, emphasizing that methane gas contributes to climate change. It presents an “opportunity here to increase resiliency while addressing root causes,” Valance mentioned.
