Salisbury Post April 21, 2015
Car dealerships look to the sun for power
Three car dealerships on Jake Alexander Boulevard are now using solar energy. Gerry Wood installed about 1,300 solar panels on the roofs of his dealerships — Honda, Kia, and Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. Together, the panels will produce about 398 megawatts of electricity each year, which is projected to produce about a third of the buildings’ annual energy supply.
Capital at Play November 2014
Sun, Wind & Water: One Company’s Quest to Give You Power
Solar, sustainability, efficiency, green living & building, are a few buzz words heard often throughout this area. New construction is looking for alternative methods to utilize renewable resources, cutting costs and environmental impact for both residential and business properties. Sundance power is a family run business steeped in a history of engineering, activism, and hope for the future…
SolarPro Nov/Dec 2014
Sundance Power Systems: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, North Carolina
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is well known for its commitment to preserving the environment and its sustainability initiatives for manufacturing its ales and lagers. Its Chico, California, brewery is home to one of the largest privately owned PV arrays in the country. When it made the decision to expand to a new East Coast location in Mills River, North Carolina, Sierra Nevada intended to make the new facility as sustainable as possible, with features including a solar component to offset a substantial portion of the site’s electrical usage…
SolarNovus Today 10/20/2014
Sierra Nevada Beer Brewed by Solar, Biodiesel, Fuel Cells and Wind
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has a strong sustainability mission dedicated to reducing its energy use, and it takes a multifaceted approach to renewable energy generation at its two breweries. Its energy goals include promoting zero waste action, increasing work space efficiencies and leading by example to inspire change….
Wall Street Journal 7/30/2014
KYOCERA Solar Modules Tapped by Sierra Nevada to Power New Brewery in Mills River, NC
Kyocera Solar Inc. announced today that Sundance Power Systems Inc. has installed 650 kilowatts (DC) of high-quality Kyocera solar modules on Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s new Mills River, North Carolina brewery. The modules will help power the brewery’s energy-intensive processes, making Sierra Nevada beers brewed there arguably among the most environmentally…
Asheville Business Blog 3/10/2014
Solar Energy has received significant attention in western North Carolina lately, but nowhere is the recent solarization more strikingly visible than on Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. Cantilevered off the South-facing parapet of the building that houses American Folk Art and Framing, four impressively large photovoltaic (PV) arrays are silently producing electricity…
Asheville Citizen-Times 11/09/2013
Sunny future for clean energy here
The response to Solarize Asheville is yet more evidence that the city is on the cutting edge of the future. During a six-week campaign that ended Oc. 11, Solarize Asheville signed up 368 people interested in having solar panels installed on their rooftops…
Asheville Citizen-Times 11/05/2013
Solarize Asheville signs up 368 homeowners
Asheville and Brooklyn have more in common than just hipsters. Both cities favor electricity generated by the sun. Though only a fraction the size of the New York borough, Asheville nearly matched the turnout for homeowners pursuing discounted solar power…
Watauga Democrat 10/02/2013
Hospitality House installs solar thermal system
Hospitality House recently celebrated the installation of a solar thermal hot water system with project supporters. The project, completed with funding from Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation and Appalachian State University’s Appalachian & the Community Together program, is expected to reduce the homeless shelter’s propane use and costs by 25 percent…
Asheville Citizen-Times 9/8/2013
Asheville homeowners aim to solarize city
Asheville has nailed down the Beer City title with the recent boom in microbreweries. Is Asheville about to become Solar City? Katie Bray of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute is making that bet. Bray is the organizer of the BRSI’s pilot program, Solarize Asheville, an initiative to make solar-generated electricity more affordable for local homeowners…
Mountain Xpress 8/25/2013
Why invest in local energy? That’s like asking why choose a local, organic apple over a Snickers bar. Sure, they’re both sweet and satisfying, but the candy, packed with additives and produced industrially by a large corporation, has long-term health consequences — few of them good…
Mountain Xpress 8/25/2013
Sundance Power Systems: Solarize Asheville campaign brings solar to the community
For a town its size, Asheville has earned some very large titles; one of the “Best Outside Towns,” “Beer City USA,” and the nation’s “Greenest Dining Destination.” This last accolade was the result of the visionary work of the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute, (BRSI) whose Green Dining Initiative…
Mountain Xpress 6/23/2013
Local Conference Highlights Renewable Energy Economy
Of the 30 utility-scale solar projects built in the Southeast last year, 21 were in North Carolina. That’s the kind of good news business leaders heard when they gathered June 19 in Asheville to celebrate the successes and discuss the challenges facing the rapidly growing renewable energy industry….”
TriCities.com 5/29/2012
Grandfather Mountain receives “Green” Certification (VIDEO)
One of the most iconic mountains in our region, Grandfather Mountain, has long been a destination of choice for tourists. Tourists are coming to Grandfather Mountain for more than just the spectacular views. Grandfather Mountain is now being recognized for its commitment to the environment…”
The Huffington Post 04/20/2012
Earth Day: Asheville Leads America’s Greenest Dining Destinations (VIDEO)
While restaurants in western North Carolina have long been in the forefront of the local foods “farm to table” movement, a unique collaboration between the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute (BRSI) and the Asheville Independent Restaurant (AIR) Association places North Carolina’s popular mountain town into the front ranks of “America’s Greenest Dining Destinations.”
US Department of Energy: EERE 2/24/2012
North Carolina’s Wind for Schools project team installed nine projects in the Tar Heel State in 2011 and hopes to facilitate more installations in 2012. According to Dave French, associate director of the Appalachian State University Wind Application Center, the achievement can be attributed to the group’s…”
NCSEA News 02/24/2012
Solar Energy Fuels Many City of Raleigh Projects
Since 1985, the City of Raleigh has been committed to harnessing sunlight as an alternative energy source for buildings, street lights and other venues. The Neuse River Solar Farm is just the latest solar powered project involving the City. Here are some of the others…
Mountain Xpress 12/29/2011
Posana Cafe gets even greener with new solar hot-water system
Peter Pollay and I squeezed into a narrow ladder well which leads to the roof. “Watch out when you stick your head out; the wind is cold,” he tells me…
The Asheville Citizen Times 12/28/2011
Asheville restaurants going green in New Year
More area restaurants that have made a reputation serving the best local foods on their menus are adding local energy going into the New Year. The city already boasts half of North Carolina’s existing certified green restaurants in a bid to turn the city into a center for environmentally sustainable dining…
The Appalachian Voice 10/14/2011
Congregations Put Faith in Solar Power
On a sunny day in April at the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Asheville, N.C., the Reverend Joe Hoffman welcomed his congregation with an unusual liturgy. “Today we celebrate a particular act of faith with the dedication of solar panels on our roof,…”
The Asheville Citizen Times 06/26/2011
Green industry booming in Asheville and WNC
Green businesses in Western North Carolina no longer need think they are tops in the state. Now they know it. In the nonprofit N.C. Sustainable Energy Association’s just-released 2011 North Carolina Clean Energy Data Book…
The Asheville Citizen Times 03/09/2011
Green business isn’t a fad, it’s smart business
Back in the mid-1980s, Asheville advertised itself as “cool and green,” trying to entice more summer tourists to the mountains. Now, “cool and green” might apply to the new jobs Asheville wants to attract to the region.
The Asheville Citizen Times 03/08/2011
Putting Faith in Solar Power
ASHEVILLE — First Congregational United Church of Christ’s gray stone gothic façade evokes history and tradition. But the view looking out the stained-glass windows of the 85-year-old church is…
The Salisbury Post 03/12/2010
Editorial: Solar, wind possibilities
Although photovoltaic solar arrays like that recently installed at Salisbury’s Wallace and Graham law office currently account for a fraction of the state’s energy production, a new study by a retired Duke University professor shows why that percentage can and most likely will shift dramatically in the near future.
The Salisbury Post 02/25/2010
Sun helps power more than law office
A Salisbury law firm has transformed its flat rooftop into a solar power generator.
The Asheville Citizen Times 12/04/2009
More downtown businesses tap sun for energy
Solar panels are popping up on a growing number of downtown businesses as owners try to save money with generous tax credits and lower monthly utility costs.
The Mountain Xpress 11/17/2009
Ashevilleans go gaga over historic architecture and get their geek on when the subject is green technology. But historic homes are notorious energy wasters, and those located in national historic districts like Montford are restricted by national and local guidelines drawn up to ensure architectural conformance to the era in which they were built.
The Asheville Citizen Times 06/04/2009
Catching the wind to make power
New tax credits and federal stimulus money are helping homes, schools and businesses in Western North Carolina catch the wind for a cheap source of energy.
Green For All o2/18/2009
NC green power jobs expected to grow from stimulus
The stimulus package, in addition to its hoped-for effect of stabilizing the national economy, could also juice green-energy businesses like Sundance with targeted incentives and tax cuts.
The Asheville Citizen Times 02/21/2008
Video touts region on green economy
Could Western North Carolina become the sustainability capital of the Southeast? With more than 80 green builders locally and a thriving solar energy industry, Dale Carroll and other leaders at regional economic development agency AdvantageWest think so.
USA Today 12/26/2007
Builder Cuts Down on Carbon Footprint
David Hall of Deltec Homes says his company doesn’t believe in cutting corners when making its trademark round homes — and that attention to detail extends to the electricity used to power the company’s plant…
USA Today 08/22/2007
More States Harness Power of Renewable Energy
“We’re seeing a dramatic upswing in the interest in renewable energy from the general public,” said Dave Hollister, co-founder of Sundance Power Systems in…
The Asheville Citizen Times 05/04/2007
What homeowners need to know to go solar
Solar energy is experiencing tremendous growth as our society responds to the challenge of meeting energy needs in more sustainable ways. Global warming and other environmental and social concerns, along with rising energy costs, are causing many to look toward the sun to power their lives.
The Asheville Citizen Times 04/20/2007
Consider wind power for home
Question: What is wind power used for? Erika Schneider, Sundance Power Systems: Historically, the energy of the wind has been used by windmills that pump water or grind grains. Today, wind power is used to generate electricity by converting the kinetic energy of the blowing wind into electrical current.
The Asheville Citizen Times 08/21/2007
Renewable energy use gets a nudge
“We’re seeing a dramatic upswing in the interest in renewable energy from the general public,” said Dave Hollister, co-founder of Sundance Power Systems in Mars Hill, “and ultimately what’s going to happen is, if the utilities don’t do it, the people are going to do it anyway, and the utilities are going to be left on the sideline.”
The Asheville Citizen Times
Solar hot water has numerous benefits
Question: As a homeowner, what can I afford to do that would make the greatest difference in my energy use and its impact on our environment? David Hollister, Sundance Power Systems: Solar hot water systems are the most effective technology for reducing energy use, as hot water is the second largest energy consumer in American households, and they are relatively simple systems.