As Southwest Virginia communities have lived through the impacts of severe storms and flooding in recent years, these events have highlighted the need for better natural disaster preparation and resilience. 

That’s why Appalachian Voices is working with partners to transform two community-serving facilities in Scott County — the Dungannon Historic Depot and the Appalachian Harvest food hub in Duffield — into community resilience hubs. Resilience hubs are places in a community that can keep people safe and provide access to food, resources and electricity during emergencies. These efforts will provide new solar arrays with energy storage, allowing these sites to operate even if the power grid goes down, while also lowering power bills year-round. 

These projects are made possible by a generous contribution from Google as well as recoverable grant funding and repayable financing from Invest Appalachia, a regional impact investment platform. Coordination support is provided by the Appalachian Solar Finance Fund. The Appalachian Solar Finance Fund is a regional financial and technical assistance program housed and fiscally sponsored by Appalachian Voices in close partnership with Invest Appalachia. 

“We are thrilled for this opportunity to direct funds generously granted by Google to implement important elements of the resilience plans we have spent the last several years developing with our friends and neighbors in Southwest Virginia,” said Adam Wells, Regional Director of Community and Economic Development with Appalachian Voices. “In addition to serving as a public resource in times of need, this investment in solar and battery storage technology will lower energy bills for our community partners all year long.”

“We’re proud to collaborate with Appalachian Voices to help bring more low-cost, reliable power to Southwest Virginia,” said Kaitlin Savage, Energy Market Development, Google. “Resilience hubs are a vital resource for communities facing increasing weather-related challenges, and this partnership further reflects our commitment to advancing affordable energy solutions and community preparedness in vulnerable regions.”

Dungannon: Upgrades to the town’s historic depot and town hall

In the town of Dungannon, two buildings are being upgraded: the town hall and Dungannon’s historic train depot located just across the street. The depot currently serves as a community center, library and meeting space for the Dungannon Community Association. In 2025, the building received weatherization and heat pump upgrades to reduce energy use. 

Soon, the town hall and depot will include 30.5 kilowatts of solar power and 115 kilowatt-hours of battery storage. A new pavilion supporting part of the solar installation will also be installed at the depot. This will give the depot the ability to operate during power outages, with 100% of the energy savings going back to the town. 

The project planning came directly from community input. Dungannon residents identified the need for this resilience hub through meetings held as part of Appalachian Voices’ Community Strong initiative, a locally driven planning process focused on strengthening economies, addressing environmental challenges and improving quality of life. Former Dungannon Mayor Debra Horne, who passed away last year, was one of the driving forces who helped shape Community Strong from its inception, and we here at Appalachian Voices continue to dedicate our Community Strong work to her memory. 

The new developments in Dungannon represent years of ongoing planning and dedication by community members, leaders and advocates. As current Mayor Melissa Gillenwater put it, this project is also about honoring the vision of former Mayor Horne, who dreamed of turning the depot into a true resilience hub for the town. 

“I am so excited to see the changes the town has made over the years continue,” said Dungannon Mayor Melissa Gillenwater, a lifelong resident of the town. “Thanks to our partners, this new solar project will not only help with the town’s electrical bills, it will also store backup power at our depot, which we are turning into a resilience hub in the case of emergency. This was a big dream of our former Mayor Debra Horne, who passed away last year. She is deeply missed and we are trying to live up to her legacy. We may be a small town in Southwest Virginia, but we have big dreams and workers who want to see them fulfilled.”

Tiger Solar of Charlottesville, Virginia, is installing the solar panels and battery system in Dungannon.

 “Being able to provide rural communities with the means to stay safe is more important than ever,” said Ron Hisel, Vice President of Tiger Solar. “Solar power and battery storage provide reliability during weather-related emergencies and other critical need scenarios.”

Duffield: Keeping local food systems running

The Appalachian Harvest food hub, run by nonprofit organization Appalachian Sustainable Development, plays a vital role in the region by supporting farmers in Southwest Virginia and surrounding states and processing and distributing local food. In addition to helping growers reach markets, the hub provides food boxes for food pantries, food banks and community organizations across Southwest Virginia.

Soon, their building will be powered by 75.6 kilowatts of solar with 246 kilowatt-hours of battery storage, which will allow the hub to continue operations even if an extended power outage occurs.This will help protect food supplies, maintain cold storage and let ASD continue distribution when communities need it most. This project is also being made possible in part by funding from Google, with installation being handled by Solar Alliance of Knoxville, Tennessee.

“By harnessing solar energy, the food hub will continue providing fresh, locally grown food to communities — even in times of crisis — while reducing our environmental footprint,” said ASD CEO Kathlyn Terry Baker. “This project represents a powerful combination of sustainability, innovation and community resilience, ensuring that both our farmers and neighbors thrive for years to come.”

“Providing lowest-cost solar energy on site, along with well-designed energy storage for community resilience, is an honor for Solar Alliance, while also enabling us to provide skilled jobs for workers in an activity that we truly believe is so worthwhile,” said Solar Alliance President and CEO Brian Timmons.

Strengthening these community-centered spaces allows Dungannon and Duffield to show what resilience can look like when it’s practical, local and built to serve real community needs.