U.S. Department of Energy Awards Grant to Reduce Energy Use in Low Income Households

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments (UCPCOG), the N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) at N.C. State University, and the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA), in collaboration with six partners, have been awarded $477,202 to help low-income households in Edgecombe, Halifax, Nash, Northampton, and Wilson counties lower their energy burden and save money.  This innovative project, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, aims to help communities benefit from energy efficiency programs by utilities, local governments, and community service providers.
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N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center Receives $1 Million Federal Support for Solar

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Project will accelerate community solar by municipal and cooperative utilities in the Southeast

November 3, 2016 – Raleigh, N.C. – The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) at North Carolina State University and its project partners, including Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), were awarded a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative to support municipal and cooperative electric utilities across the southeastern United States to accelerate the development and installation of community solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The partnership’s goal is to support the deployment of more than 200 megawatts (MW) of community solar in the next three years, which will meet the energy demands of approximately 25,000 homes. This project is one of 17 projects just announced by the Department of Energy to reduce the costs of solar electricity in the United States.
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Clean Energy Opportunity Diversity Scholarship­ – Applications Available

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Unique project aims to increase minority participation in solar & energy efficiency workforce

March 21, 2017 – Raleigh, N.C. – The N.C. Clean Energy Technology Center (NCCETC) at N.C. State University, with support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, is expanding its workforce development training to include Clean Energy Opportunity Diversity Scholarships­ for historically underrepresented applicants in eastern North Carolina. In cooperation with the Center for Energy Education, Halifax and Martin Community Colleges, the NCCETC will offer two week-long trainings in Halifax County for professional certification pathways in the  renewable energy and energy efficiency fields. “We are pleased to offer 14 scholarships for eligible students to gain qualifications to help increase energy efficiency in homes and commercial buildings, and pursue employment in the solar energy arena,” stated NCCETC’s Executive Director, Steve Kalland. Through this project, NCCETC will aid in increasing diversity within the state’s clean energy sector. According to the Solar Foundation’s 2016 National Solar Jobs Census, African Americans represent only 6.6 percent of the solar workforce, the lowest of all groups. Further, North Carolina was ranked number two in the United States for the amount of installed solar energy, providing potential employment opportunity for scholarship recipients.

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Helping Educate Communities about Solar Energy in North Carolina

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There are over 300 ground-mounted utility-scale solar energy facilities producing electricity across North Carolina. These systems, which are often called “solar farms,” are now common enough and dispersed widely enough across the state that most North Carolinians are aware that some of the state’s electricity is generated by large solar facilities. However, nearly all of these systems have been built in just the last four years; which means many people are not very familiar with the technology or its potential impacts. As continued solar energy development brings new projects all across the state, many communities have questions about solar energy and its impacts. The Center knows the answers to many of the most common questions and is working with N.C. Cooperative Extension to share these answers and to also help provide communities with the resources needed to explore more difficult policy questions as well.
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