NC Chambers Say Wind, Solar Energy Are Critical to Rural Region

Four local chambers of commerce called on North Carolina’s General Assembly leadership last month to support the booming clean energy industry that represents some of the best economic news to reach the Northeastern part of the state in a long time. 

“This renewable energy economy is thriving and is critical to our region, and we respectfully ask for your assistance in keeping these projects alive and thriving,” the Presidents and Executives of the Edenton-Chowan, Elizabeth City Area, Currituck, and Windsor-Bertie Chamber of Commerce wrote.

The state’s first utility-scale wind farm, the $400 million Amazon Wind Farm US East, is already the largest taxpayer in Perquimans and Pasquotank Counties. And Summit Farm Solar, one of nation’s largest solar projects, created more than 1,000 jobs during construction, supporting local economies across the region.

These mostly rural counties that include some of the state’s most economically challenged areas have struggled for decades to attract new jobs, business opportunities, and business investments.

Now, wind and solar energy are booming in their region, the chamber leaders wrote in a letter to Sen. Phil Berger, President Pro Tempore of the N.C. Senate and Rep. Tim Moore, Speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives.

“We hope you will stand with us in support of the clean energy industry and foster its ongoing growth and expansion, allowing our region and state to reap the economic benefits,” they wrote.  

To date, North Carolina’s clean energy industry has generated nearly $9 billion in investment, saved money for businesses and families, driven down costs of renewable energy and energy efficiency technology, and helped maintain clean air and water.

Read the letter from four chambers here.

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Save the Date: February 8, 2018

Join the Currituck Chamber and local businesses for a panel discussion with leading energy experts to learn more about the renewable energy industry and how solar and wind energies are spurring economic growth North Carolina.

When: Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018

Where: The Currituck Chamber of Commerce

More information to come.

Currituck Chamber CEO Says Solar Project Will Foster a Thriving Local Economy

More than 150 people came out last month for a Currituck Chamber of Commerce open house at a new 2,000-acre farm solar farm. The event was co-hosted by the nearby Elizabeth City Chamber, home to the state’s first wind farm.

Currituck County, the northeastern most county in North Carolina, will receive $500,000 in annual tax revenue from this project.

The chambers partnered with the project’s developer, SunEnergy1, on the event that also attracted representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which will purchase solar from the North Carolina farm.

“As a chamber, we are committed to fostering a thriving and sustainable local economy—and this new solar project will absolutely help us do that in ways that will enhance our community’s quality of life,” said Josh Bass, President of the Currituck Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to the added tax revenue, the local economy will benefit from locally sourced building materials and added construction and maintenance jobs.

According to a Duke University report, released in 2015, solar-friendly policies have helped North Carolina be a leader in solar investment—providing jobs and economic development opportunities to all parts of the state, including rural ones that have struggled historically to create jobs and businesses.

Moreover, the report found, the benefits of solar energy go beyond the particular communities that host them. “All parts of the solar value chain – investors, solar developers, construction contractors, solar panel and component manufacturers – are creating jobs and providing landowners, workers and towns across North Carolina with income and tax revenue,” the report found.

In February, the Currituck County Commissioners banned future solar development in the country, while grandfathering in the SunEnergy1 project.

Recognizing renewable energy as a driver of the local economy, the Currituck Chamber said it is in the best interest of the region to educate the community about the financial benefits from solar energy.

When fully developed, the project is expected to be the largest solar farm east of the Mississippi.

$400 Million Project Delivers Jobs, Investments, and Tax Payments

When it comes to big new economic development opportunities, it’s no secret that rural communities sometimes feel left behind. But with the rise of wind energy, that has been changing. And this trend has not been lost on local chamber leaders and others focused on economic development.

In recent years, local chamber leaders in Ohio, Michigan, and Virginia have been speaking up about the benefits of wind energy to their communities. Now, local chamber leaders in North Carolina are joining their ranks with the opening of the state’s first large-scale wind farm, Amazon Wind Farm U.S. East.

“As representatives for the business community, it’s our responsibility to advocate for jobs and economic development in northeast North Carolina and the Elizabeth City region, and we are thrilled to see the [Amazon] project operational,” the Elizabeth City Chamber of Commerce President and Board President recently wrote in a letter to North Carolina’s Speaker, Tim Moore.

“The Amazon project has a significant impact on the local economy and our Tier 1 [North Carolina’s most distressed] counties, as well as to our region’s economic growth and the ongoing expansion of the clean tech sector in the state,” Mike Hindenach and Doug Gardiner added.

“Everyone will benefit.” Amazon’s latest wind farm was built to power data centers outside Washington, D.C. But North Carolina’s local communities spanning Pasquotank and Perquimans counties are reaping direct economic benefits. Among them:

• More than 500 workers and 30 North Carolina companies were put to work

• More than $18 million was spent locally by Avangrid Renewables

• More than $1.1 million in landowner payments and taxes will be injected into the local economy each year, according to a report in Electric Light & Power.

“Almost everyone in the community knows someone who worked on the wind farm, sold or rented something that helped build the wind farm, or owns land where the project was built,” Cecil Perry, Chairman of the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners, was quoted as saying.

“These jobs, and this nearly $400 million investment in a rural part of North Carolina, are welcome — everyone in the county will benefit from the long-term property tax payments,” Perry added.

Benefits to More NC Communities. But it is not only the communities that house wind farms that benefit from the development of wind energy. North Carolina, for example, has more than 70 companies across the wind supply chain, such as the making of blades, towers, generators, and turbine assembly.

Meanwhile, a second wind farm, Timbermill Wind, is eyed for development in North Carolina that could bring in between $600,000 to $800,000 a year for each of the counties it would span. Chowan County unanimously approved conditional use permits, but Perquimans County did not. The developer, Apex Clean Energy, is moving forward with the project in Chowan County while it appeals the decision in Perquimans County.

The Edenton-Chowan Chamber adopted a resolution in support of wind energy and the proposed project, then helped lead the charge to co-host a briefing call for other chambers.

“What does wind energy mean to little Chowan County?” asked Win Dale, Executive Director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce, a place that struggles to maintain its tax base and provide jobs that will be home to the state’s second planned wind farm, Timbermill Wind. “It means increasing our revenue by $250,000 a year,” he said.

The Outer Banks Chamber, home to a strategic spot for offshore wind development, has also publically expressed their support for wind development. Offshore wind could lead to 48,145 jobs in North Carolina—approximately 25,000 more than from offshore drilling.

Pictured above from left to right: Rep. Howard Hunter; Rep. Chuck McGrady; Speaker Tim Moore; Rep. Holly Grange; Rep. Sam Watford; Rep. Bob Steinburg; Rep. John Bell; Rep. Chris Malone; Rep. John Szoka.