North Carolina is leading the Southeast in the clean energy economy and our state's valuable sustainable energy businesses, local community leaders and organizations, educational institutions, and others are starting new projects everyday to make us a national leader. Below are just a few of the recent major announcements and innovations from across our state.

Hundreds of North Carolina residents, business owners, legislators and clean energy advocates attended NC Sustainable Energy Association's Energy Choices Now Roadshow across the state. On select dates in April and May 2012, NCSEA staff members and volunteers visited every region of North Carolina to bring energy consumers up-to-speed on renewable energy and energy efficiency activity specific to their areas.

Richard Groves is the Executive Director of Clean Energy Events in Wilmington. NCSEA spoke with Groves about how Clean Energy Events got its start and its presence at the 5th annual Charlotte Clean and Green Festival on Saturday, May 19 in Charlotte. 

Charlotte, NC — Shannon Smith kicked off the Climate, Land Use and Energy Leadership (CLUE) luncheon this week at the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Annual Meeting in Charlotte as part of Abundant Power Group’s sponsorship of the event.  Smith noted the significance of Charlotte’s history as the site of America’s first gold rush as appropriate to the Conference theme of “Power to Lead, Energy to Thrive”, given the opportunity real estate executives have today to manage energy performance and behavioral change in commercial buildings.

RALEIGH, NC - Homeowners seeking lower utility bills in the Triangle have an intriguing new option: solar powered electricity and hot water, along with efficient thermostat controls, are all being wrapped into a single package, thanks to a new partnership between three companies. Meritage Homes is now building houses that offer the Echo® solar system installed by Morrisville-based Southern Energy Management (SEM). Echo, from EchoFirst®, is sold across the Southwestern U.S. and Texas; this is the first time Echo technology has been deployed in the Eastern U.S.
 

Charlotte, NC – May 8, 2012 – An ambitious and exciting recycling initiative is now underway at ReVenture Park. Crews are pulling out 180,000 pounds of metal including stainless steel and copper - from this once abandoned textile dye manufacturing facility. Instead of going to waste, these metals will be put back to use in traditional and non-traditional ways.

NCSEA's Miriam Makhyoun and Randy Lucas will present at the World Renewable Energy Forum on May 16, 2012 in Denver, Colorado.

Lucas is a CPA and the Principal Consultant of Lucas Tax + Energy Consulting in Charlotte, NC. He also serves as on the NCSEA Board of Directors. Miriam serves as the Solar and Renewable Energy Industry Specialist for NCSEA. They will discuss the "Evaluation of Incentives for Renewable Energy in Today's Market".  

The World Renewable Energy Forum 2012 includes over 200 sessions including presentations of technical papers, forum sessions and panel discussions. 

Andy Griffith never imagined that his hometown of Mt. Airy NC would generate more solar electricity per person than almost any other city in the U.S. Mount Airy, the inspiration of the fictional town of Mayberry in the Andy Griffith show, has just over 10,000 residents located in the North West part of North Carolina. Last year the 1.2 Megawatt Mayberry Solar farm was completed just 3 miles from the historic main street.  This year, another 4.5 Megawatts of solar energy generation will be installed as part of the Ararat Rock Solar farm near Mount Airy.

O2 Energies is the developer, owner and operator of the Ararat Rock Solar farm which is being constructed on a 25 acre plot about a mile south of their Mayberry Solar Farm.

North Carolina is leading the Southeast in the clean energy economy and our state's valuable sustainable energy businesses, local community leaders and organizations, educational institutions, and others are starting new projects everyday to make us a national leader. Below are just a few of the recent major announcements and innovations from across our state. Click on each hyperlink below to read more about each project.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Builders of Hope, a North Carolina-based nonprofit that rebuilds homes to energy-efficient LEED certification, will pilot a program in Atlanta that could turn 500 foreclosed homes into affordable housing.

GEOTHERMAL
The American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro has gained national recognition for its geothermal energy system.

SOLAR
A high school freshman won first place in the 2012 North Carolina Science Festival for his invention of a Solar Composter — a solar panel heating system optimizes the composting process so that it can be used year round, while preventing weeds and parasites.

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants and Gehrlicher Solar America Corp. announced a strategic joint-development agreement focused on providing solar energy to water and wastewater treatment facilities in California, Arizona and Nevada. Since 1919, Kennedy/Jenks Consultants has specialized in the planning, evaluation and design of water and wastewater treatment facilities. With a significant client network in the western US, including 250 facilities in California, Kennedy/Jenks is uniquely positioned to introduce renewable energy solutions to this energy intensive industry.