Support Emergency Solar Power for Piney Hill, NC
Donations to this fund will help support people in the greater Asheville, NC area, who are still without power after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
Immediately (as of 10/26/24) we are working to assemble palletized solar generators using donated equipment. Thanks to the Footprint Project, we have solar panels, charge controllers, inverters, and connectors. Smith Mill Works has generously donated storage and workshop space. We need to source batteries, assemble the components, and deliver the generators to impacted communities.
Our first priority is to help folks along 19W (northwest of Burnsville, NC). The Cane River was incredibly destructive, washing away homes, bridges, roads, power poles, and both fire stations. Folks in and around Piney Hill will be without grid power for 3-8 months. Gasoline for generators is being distributed from the organizing hub at Piney Hill Church. They are going through ~150 gallons per day, and are worried the road into town will become impassable this winter. Along with Footprint Project, we've been able to get them a handful of solar generators, but the community is asking for more and bigger solar generators (see video below). Our goal is to supply them with enough solar power to cut their gasoline consumption by 1/4-1/2.
This fundraiser is run by Weave Power, an aspiring off-grid solar cooperative that grew out of Hurricane Helene relief organizing initiatives.
In the immediate aftermath of the storms, power and communications were out all over the region. Knowing that a bunch of my friends and colleagues had loose solar equipment lying around, I (Jamie) started driving around collecting equipment to cobble together working off-grid solar systems.
In the longer-term, we hope to establish a solar cooperative that, much like a bicycle cooperative, will salvage old solar equipment for re-sale and teach people how to build and maintain their own off-grid solar systems. The team now consists of a small group of solar enthusiasts, including a licensed electrician.
Funds will be used to:
** Purchase materials, tools, and equipment. [Right now (10/26), we need batteries (12v deep cycle preferred, but even car starter batteries would work)]
**Defray transportation and logistical costs.
**Hopefully provide a small stipend to our regular volunteers so that we can continue to do this work, and get Weave Power firmly established as a community solar resource.
Thank you so much for your support!
We are committed to building back WNC to be greener and even more resilient than it was before.
Sincerely,
Jamie Trowbridge & the Weave Power team.
P.S. To get a small glimpse into the beautiful organizing that took place in Barnardsville and Asheville post-hurricane (and into how Weave Power came to be), check out this video:
Organizer
