N.C. Solar Snapshot

AV's Intern Team | July 30, 2015

by Lauren Essick

A 20-megawatt solar farm under construction near Biscoe, N.C., covers 120 acres and is projected to power the equivalent of 3,500 homes when it is completed in November. The Montgomery County solar array, built by NC-based company O2 Energies EMC, will be grazed by sheep to reduce the need for mowers and synthetic pesticides.

At a July event at the construction site, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) spoke about the role of renewable energy development in making North Carolina economically competitive.

‘The Speed of These Processes is Not Survivable’

Federal Judge Strikes Down Pisgah-Nantahala National Forest Plan

Rebuilding Roads and Rethinking Rivers

River Cleanup of Helene Debris Continues

Latest News

Virginia budget proposals fail to address data center threats

Mining could start up near the Monongahela National Forest again

Pennington Gap residents invited to meeting to review designs for Cas Walker site

Woodfin, N.C., meeting to focus on protection from landslide, wildfire and flood risks

More Stories

English language learners in Appalachia sit around a table doing their lesson

English Language Learning in Appalachia

Learning English is always difficult. But current aggressive approaches to immigration policy are creating more barriers for learners and the programs that serve them than ever before in Appalachia and beyond.

Seventh-generation Pike County resident and SOLVE steering committee member Larry Thacker and his wife, Sharon, at their home in Pompey.

Pike County Rejects Mega Landfill

Many residents of Pike County, Kentucky, are breathing a sigh of relief since county commissioners finalized their decision to rescind a contract with an out-of-state waste management company.

Data from MBA, Consumer Price Index, graphic by PowerLines. Learn more at powerlines.org/utility-bills-are-rising

Overdrive: Fossil Fuels in Appalachia

Electricity demand is on the rise. Here, we share snapshots of energy trends in the region and how methane gas, coal and data centers are affecting our communities — and how people are pushing back.

Less Support for Communities with Mine Problems

The Trump administration issued a regulation to weaken the Ten Day Notice process that helps community members call in federal enforcement when state regulators don’t do a good job policing environmental problems at coal mines

TVA Listening Session - August 2025 crowd shot

Chaos at the Tennessee Valley Authority, Cuts to Public Input

The past year has brought turmoil and uncertainty to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public power provider, and its more than 10 million customers across the Tennessee Valley.

A woman holds a photo of her parents on her phone

Landmark Coal Ash Protections Under Attack

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eviscerate important, hard-won regulations on coal ash, a toxic waste left after burning coal for energy.