Spectre of Hurricane Helene Drives North Carolina’s $5M Investment in Microgrid Infrastructure

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) State Energy Office has announced it will invest $5 million in the development of two mobile microgrids and up to 24 permanent microgrids across the state.

The stationary microgrids will be installed in counties that were significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene in 2024. The mobile microgrids will be pre-positioned with one in the western part of the state and the other in the eastern part.

“The microgrids will provide essential power supplies and will serve as community resilience hubs in both times of crisis and under normal conditions,” said Reid Wilson, DEQ secretary. "This initiative represents a leap forward in how we prepare for and respond to disasters.”

Applying lessons learned from Helene

Much of western North Carolina was devastated when Helene roared through the state in late September. With sustained winds of upwards of 80 miles per hour (70 knots), the storm dumped between 12 and 20 inches of rain, triggering devastating flooding and killing at least 108 people.

Two days after the storm had passed, Duke Energy, the primary electric utility serving the region, reported that nearly a million people in its North and South Carolina service territory were still without power.

In parts of the state, the devastation to the electric grid was so complete that infrastructure needed to be completely rebuilt.

That meant that outages, for some, lasted for weeks. Solar microgrids were deployed in the aftermath of the storm to power medical clinics, communications equipment and other critical resources.

“Hurricane Helene showed us that we need to be prepared to withstand severe weather emergencies. That means rebuilding our energy infrastructure with resilience in mind,” said Governor Josh Stein in a statement.

A group effort

The State Energy Office (SEO) is collaborating with a network of national and regional partners on the initiative, including Footprint Project, a nonprofit organization that provides microgrids and other emergency energy systems during disasters, and the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association.

Land of Sky Regional Council, a multi-county planning and development organization, will purchase the mobile “Beehive” microgrids. They will act as no-cost lending libraries, making solar and battery equipment accessible to community organizations across the state.

“Hurricane Helene taught me that we must reimagine how our communities prepare and respond,” said Sara Nichols, energy and economic development manager for Land of Sky Regional Council. “By combining renewable energy with local partnerships, we’re creating resilient infrastructure that can keep critical services running when the grid goes down.”

Federal funds and donations will bring the microgrids to life

SEO will pay for the microgrids with funds it was awarded as part of the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Additionally, more than $1 million in clean tech equipment has been donated, with more expected later this year.

“This investment will better connect western North Carolina to the rest of the state, and it will improve our ability to keep people safe and respond to future disasters,” Stein said.

Site selection for the permanent microgrid installations will begin this fall. The DEQ anticipates the project will be complete by June of 2027.

North Carolina’s growing microgrid fleet

Microgrid technology is not new to North Carolina. Long before Helene, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians began developing plans for an off-grid solar microgrid and electric buses that would serve as mobile microgrids.

PowerSecure, a distributed energy infrastructure provider and key player in the microgrid industry, has a microgrid powered by 100% renewable fuel at its Durham campus.

Duke Energy launched what it calls a fleet mobility microgrid at its Mount Holly, N.C., Emerging Technology Office. The facility is demonstrating utility-scale fleet charging for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Duke Energy Florida will be the host utility for the 2026 Microgrid Knowledge Conference, May 4-6 in Orlando.