Solar and battery “beehive” mobile microgrids are helping western North Carolina build community resilience.
Tell your state leaders to support mobile solar/battery microgrids!
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Reasons For Hope
In the wake of the devastating climate-supercharged Hurricane Helene in 2024, hard-hit Appalachian communities in western North Carolina are pioneering a new model of mobile, decentralized solar-powered microgrids for community resilience!
The state is partnering with the nonprofit Footprint Project and local community organizations to deploy a swarm of “Beehives,” trailer-mounted microgrids with a rooftop solar array plus battery storage. Models include “Cooler Bees” powering fridges of medication and food, “Power Bees” letting people charge their devices, and “Water Bees” powering clean drinking water filtration!
The current state plan is to drive 24 “bees” to long-term stationary deployments at community centers like food banks, fire stations, and libraries, plus two mobile bees ready for rapid response anywhere across North Carolina.
“Beehive Microgrids are made up of an ecosystem of solar and battery systems on towable trailers that provide a range of services.
Because they are mobile, these bees can be towed immediately to communities hardest hit in disasters.”
It’s going to be powering well pumps to keep water access open, fridges to keep food and medications, fresh and functional lights on critical facilities.”
This is spectacular renewables-powered community resilience work, and a brilliant model for other states to follow! State leaders should act now to build their own networks of mobile solar/battery microgrids for community resilience — not wait until after the next climate disaster. A clear model of decentralized mobile clean microgrids is already here, and it could offer an unprecedented level of flexible, responsive, independently powered support to communities in need across America!
Tell your state leaders to support mobile solar microgrids!
Your Dose of Climate Hope is written by Sam Matey-Coste for Climate Action Now.
