North Carolina’s microgrid initiative has moved from announcement to early implementation.
After the power and communications failures following Hurricane Helene, the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and partner organizations began developing mobile solar-and-battery systems and selecting permanent sites meant to keep critical community services operating during future outages.
The first five permanent locations announced are in Buncombe, Madison, Mitchell, Rutherford, and Yancey counties. The mobile units are expected to be fully operational in March 2027.
