Spring Updates from our Western NC Hub

For those of you following our work in community resilience, you may have wondered what we’ve been up to. At Footprint Project, our work extends to many community projects outside of our Western North Carolina Solar Free Store. If you’ve been waiting for our WNC Solar Free Store to open again, we appreciate your patience! Here is just a small fraction of what our tight-knit team has been working on.

Folks gather for the November WNC Solar Free Store

1. We moved warehouses! (same campus, bigger building)

2. We expanded our Individual and Family Assistance program, where we install solar generators for those living without reliable grid access since Helene.

3. We finished building and handed off a solarized trailer for CHISPAS, a home-repair worker cooperative in the PODER Emma network. This trailer will also serve as a backup to critical loads, such as the well, fridge, internet, and lights, at a community building during an outage.

4. We outfitted community groups such as Swannanoa Communities Together and emergency response groups such as Buncombe County Emergency Management and the Black Mountain Fire Department with solar generators and batteries ahead of winter storm Fern. We are thankful the ice and impact were less than anticipated.

5. We have continued developing over ten in-progress community hub microgrids. 

6. We worked to support PODER Emma’s energy generation and conservation project on a mobile home in one of their housing coops.

7. We ran a two-day workshop with the Green Re-Entry Incubator, which is a program that equips justice-impacted individuals with the tools, skills, mentorship, and community support to build a greener, more just future. The trailer they helped build will be put into use by a rural volunteer fire department when we finish it.

8. We have begun work to develop and build a Mobile Solar + Battery Microgrid Fleet and Command Center for disaster response operations in North Carolina.

9. We tied up the loose ends with beautiful locally designed art on the solar trailer we built last year for Rural Organizing and Resilience.

10. And many more mundane happenings like email, paperwork, research, and breakfasts at Wagon Wheel in Mars Hill.

What is the WNC Solar Free Store?

In our work as a disaster response and recovery nonprofit, we receive in-kind donations from solar industry partners. Some of the donated solar equipment is not suitable for our disaster programs, so we distribute it to people like you via the Free Store!

Why do we run the WNC Solar Free Store?

This project is rooted in the understanding that neighbors share with neighbors in a crisis. By proliferating solar and storage projects, the fabric of a community’s resilience is woven tighter. Moreover, the Free Store distributes technology that is high-quality and functional, but with market changes, the equipment might otherwise become e-waste.

What do we offer?

Our inventory is determined by donations. This means the Free Store will not have every part needed to complete a solar project, but for many projects our customers significantly lower their overall costs. Free Store customers can return to future events to get more advice from the consultants, but are responsible for managing and funding their own installation projects.

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