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SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

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The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

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Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Solar Made Affordable For Some North Carolina Residents

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Thursday, September 19, 2013   

ASHVILLE, N.C. – On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce guidelines for carbon emissions at new coal-fired power plants.

But some homeowners in one part of North Carolina have found a way to make sure the energy they use is powered by the sun.

Solarize Asheville is a new effort by community members to put solar panels on their homes in a more cost-efficient way.

Katie Bray, program director for Solarize Asheville, says her company's model operates similar to a wholesale club such as Sam's Club or Costco.

"Our goal is to make solar energy more affordable and easier for homeowners to adopt,” she says. “And we reduce the cost by organizing citywide group purchasing."

Bray says so far 230 homeowners have signed up and will save as much as 38 percent on the cost of their solar installation – compared with the average cost last year in North Carolina.

The model has been successfully done in about 10 other states, but North Carolina is the first state in the Southeast.

Bray adds Solarize Asheville is looking to expand the program beyond Asheville to other parts of the state.

Matt Menne was the first person to sign up for Solarize Asheville. His panels will be installed next week.

He says he's not just excited about the savings on his electric bill.

"I think it's a way to personally reduce your carbon footprint,” he explains. “This is a really great opportunity since it's reducing the overall cost and the tax rebates are currently pretty significant."

On sunny days, solar panels will generate electricity to power the home. Any unused energy will be sold back to the grid and the homeowner will receive a credit that can be used when he or she needs to use power from the grid – on cloudy days or at night.

Bray says she hopes the program changes outlooks as well as utility bills.

"The idea behind this program is anything that we can do to change our behaviors and make ourselves more conscious of how we're using energy and where it's coming from and what the actual true costs of that are," she explains.

Solarize Asheville also has partnered with a bank to help homeowners fund the cost of the panels.

There are currently state and federal tax rebates to help offset the costs of solar installation.

Reporting for this story by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest. Media in the Public Interest is funded in part by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.


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