Grassroots Power:
Solar Supports Disaster Recovery in
Weaverville, NC
When Hurricane Helene swept through western North Carolina, it left a wake of destruction, uncertainty, and power outages. But amid the chaos, community action lit the way forward.
In Weaverville, NC, a mutual aid movement called United Ambassadors of Hope quickly emerged. What started as a neighbor-helping-neighbor effort transformed into a full-scale response hub - housing search and rescue teams, feeding recovery crews, and providing a safe base of operations for skilled volunteers.
With support from Footprint Project, Sol-Ark helped power their mission.
A Community Built from Compassion and Quick Action
United Ambassadors of Hope was founded by Mindy Barrett, a Western North Carolina native who returned home after surviving the wildfires in Hawaii. When Hurricane Helene hit, she opened her late mother’s house—and then her father-in-law’s woodworking barn—to serve as a home base for emergency response efforts.
Inside the barn, bunk beds were built. A field kitchen was assembled. At any given time, more than 15 responders were sheltered on-site, including:
- Search and rescue teams searching for survivors
- Recovery teams using cadaver dogs to locate missing loved ones
- Volunteer tradespeople restoring homes damaged by floods.
In the face of overwhelmed official resources, this community stepped up. Housing responders and running critical operations, like refrigeration and communications, requires dependable, uninterrupted power. That’s where solar energy made all the difference.
Built to Support, Designed to Grow
In partnership with Footprint Project, Sol-Ark helped deploy a clean energy solution that supports daily operations while ensuring resilience for the future:
- 8 kW of solar using Solaria/Maxion 400W panels (20 total)
- Sol-Ark 15K-2P hybrid inverter operating in self-consumption mode
- Custom-built ground mount racking system
This setup keeps food cold, devices charged, and communications running smoothly- even during outages. The inverter’s hybrid capabilities also make it future-ready for grid export or energy storage additions.
Why Sol-Ark
In post-disaster environments, flexibility and reliability are non-negotiable. Sol-Ark inverters are built for resilience—capable of adapting to the unique needs of each deployment.
“We needed a system that worked right away and had the flexibility to grow,” said Footprint Project. “Sol-Ark was the perfect fit.”
By supporting real people doing real work on the ground, this system helped bring order to chaos—and showed how clean energy can accelerate recovery.
Stronger Together
For Footprint Project, this was the first large-scale permanent installation in the region after the storm. For the United Ambassadors of Hope, it was a tool to continue providing life-saving resources with confidence.
At Sol-Ark, we’re proud to support purpose-driven organizations that lead by example and rebuild stronger. Together with Footprint Project, we’re helping power more than just buildings—we’re powering hope, recovery, and resilience.
Thank you to everyone involved—from the volunteers on the roof to the leaders on the ground.
