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If another outage as widespread as Hurricane Helene’s hit, hubs with these systems could keep food and medication safe.
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When the power grid goes down, a food bank can lose far more than electricity. Freezers, coolers, and washing machines can all stop working, putting food, medication, and an important community safety net at risk.
That’s why a new solar microgrid at Beacon of Hope in Marshall, North Carolina, is so significant. It’s built to keep the building running through even a major outage.
The Madison County site, which houses a food bank, thrift store, and laundromat, now has a solar microgrid installed by Rhino Renewables electricians Steve Porvaznik and Ryan Callahan, according to Blue Ridge Public Radio. The system uses rooftop solar panels and battery storage so the site can keep operating even when the larger grid is down.
“We were able to back up the whole store, essentially, with all the freezers and coolers,” Porvaznik told Blue Ridge Public Radio.
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The batteries can store an estimated 68 kilowatt-hours of solar power, enough to keep the building running for at least a day when the sun isn’t shining. Many standard rooftop solar systems, by contrast, shut off during outages unless they’re paired with batteries.
The larger effort calls for 26 microgrids across western North Carolina, funded by a $5 million grant the state Department of Environmental Quality awarded in 2025 to a group of local and regional nonprofits.
Two will be mounted on mobile trailers, while the other 24 are slated for places like food banks, libraries, fire departments, and community centers.
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Beacon of Hope director Jessi Koontz told the station that about 1,600 families get food assistance from the pantry each week, and the organization’s electric bills can rise to around $1,200 a month.
If another outage as widespread as Hurricane Helene’s hit, hubs with these systems could keep food and medication safe, power cell service and internet access, and offer a warm, dry shelter for a few hours or days.
Alex Kwasinski, an engineer at the University of Pittsburgh who researches microgrids and disasters, said funding is a common obstacle to expanding projects like these. He noted that in places including western North Carolina and Puerto Rico, microgrids are often built by nonprofits or smaller organizations rather than through large-scale investments from governments or corporations.
Sarah Nichols, with Land of Sky, said equity is part of the conversation when picking where these systems go.
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“Are we looking at equity?” she said. “Should we put it in a more rural area or in a community that might not traditionally get access to government services?”
Nichols is working to find more sites like the Marshall hub, focusing on higher ground where flooding is less likely and on high-need communities.
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Adding battery storage to a solar setup is one of the best ways to protect your home during outages, save money on energy, and even go off-grid. Batteries store the power your panels generate during the day, so you can keep the lights on and the fridge running when the grid goes down.
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Koontz hopes the pantry can stay open through future outages.
“People already come here,” she noted. “So, how can we maximize the resources that are available and the communication that is available when they come here?”
Similar efforts are keeping essentials running when storms and outages knock out the grid.
• In disaster zones, mobile nanogrids provide electricity and clean water when conventional systems fail.
• In Arkansas, a Kroger donation helped food bank volunteers serve 60,000 meals after storms.
• VillaGrid says home energy storage can save refrigerated food during blackouts and cut bills.
• Pila says its next-gen tech protects fridges when outages threaten hundreds of dollars in food.
• After a hurricane, one homeowner found solar panels kept lights on when the grid went dark.
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© 2025 THE COOL DOWN COMPANY. All Rights Reserved. Do not sell or share my personal information. Reach us at hello@thecooldown.com.

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