MARCH 26, 2009 ISSUE
AIRE Launches Community-Owned Solar Power Project
Kickoff Event To Take Place April 3
The Greenhouse, located on Depot Street in downtown Boone, will be the site of the first community-owned solar project in Watauga County. Photo by Heather Hendricks
The Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy (AIRE) is about to launch the first community-owned solar project in Boone. In April, graduate students in ASU’s Department of Appropriate Technology will install a 2.5-kilowatt photovoltaic solar electric system on the roof of The Greenhouse, a green office building located on Depot Street in downtown Boone.
The project, Boone Community Solar, is an experiment in AIRE’s greater effort to develop community-owned solar energy for residential, commercial and public buildings in Boone, said Steve Owen, executive director of AIRE.
“We want to have locals own and control that resource,” Owen said.
Owen said the Boone Community Solar system will be set up as a limited liability company (LLC), and local community members will have the opportunity to invest in the project. AIRE would like to see community-owned renewable energy spread to other local locations, not only with photovoltaics but also with solar-thermal and wind energy, he said.
The goals of AIRE and Boone Community Solar are to make solar energy accessible and affordable for local people and to increase public participation in energy and economic decision-making. AIRE hopes to install 1 megawatt of new solar power locally by 2012 and to develop a countywide renewable energy plan.
The 2.5-kilowatt system at The Greenhouse will annually save about 3.2 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and will eliminate the need for 1.6 tons of coal each year. In addition, locally distributed electricity is more efficient than energy transmitted over longer distances—electricity transmission and distribution losses in the United States are estimated at 7 percent annually.
The local economy also stands to benefit from community-owned renewable energy through the creation of jobs, savings on electricity expenses and local investment.
A limited number of memberships will be available in the first Boone Community Solar project. Community members can also contribute to the project by making a tax-deductible donation.
AIRE is an initiative of the Appalachian Coalition for Just and Sustainable Communities, a Boone-based nonprofit organization. AIRE was formed to promote strong economies and healthy environments throughout Central and Southern Appalachia.
“We seek to reduce the region's dependence on mountaintop removal coal mining and other nonrenewable energy sources, and to create economically and environmentally sustainable livelihoods,” the organization’s mission statement says.
The Greenhouse, located at 164 South Depot Street, is downtown Boone's first green office building. A group of local investors, The Gang of 5, LLC, converted the old Army-Navy building into an environmentally friendly workspace that provides flexible rental opportunities to local businesses.
On Friday, April 3, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. the public is invited to learn more about the Boone Community Solar project at a free Community Solar FunFest kickoff event at The Greenhouse. The event will be held during the monthly Downtown Boone Art Crawl. Enjoy free food, live music by solar-powered band Southern Exposure, tours of The Greenhouse and plenty of information about the possibilities for community-owned renewable energy.
For more information about this project, contact Owen at 828-268-5022 or click to the AIRE website at www.aire-nc.org.
Want To Go?
Date: Friday, April 3
Time: 5:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: The Greenhouse, 164 South Depot Street, Boone
Cost: FREE!
Community Interest
News & Notes
Events
Arts & Entertainment
