Reprinted from the Outer Banks Sentinel
MANTEO — Dare County’s Cooperative Extension will host a solar education meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 23, to explain the technology, construction, regulations and economics of the utility-scale solar photovoltaic, or PV, systems that are increasing across North Carolina in the Dare County Commissioners meeting room, 954 Marshall Collins Drive.
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In addition to providing an understanding of the development and operation of these solar electricity generating facilities, attendees will learn about the various impacts of these systems on the community and the environment.
Tommy Cleveland, solar PV engineer with Advanced Energy, and Steve Kalland, executive director of the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center at N.C. State University, will address common questions about PV panel toxicity, EMF/radiation, economic impacts, system decommissioning and more. They will also discuss the characteristics that make a site most suitable for solar and provide an overview of solar land leases. An opportunity for questions and answers will be provided after the 50-minute presentation.
North Carolina is experiencing rapid growth in utility scale solar. The Solar Energy Industries Association ranked North Carolina number two in the United States for cumulative installed solar capacity in 2016.
The objectives of the Dare County meeting are to educate attendees and to answer questions about solar opportunities within the county. These topics may include solar basics, environmental health and safety issues, landowner considerations, land use and impacts, local regulatory topics, solar policy, local economic implications, and also non-utility scale solar topics such as residential, commercial and community solar.
For more information, contact Dare County Extension Director Shannon Brooks at 252-473-4290.
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This story is provided courtesy of the Outer Banks Sentinel, a weekly Dare County newspaper that is published in print every Wednesday and headquartered at 2910 South Croatan Highway, Nags Head. Aside from the print paper, the Sentinel also produces a continually updated digital version at www.obsentinel.com.
