In Appalachia, a new ‘green bank’ could bring solar power and help slash electric bills
$500 million from the EPA will support small lenders to invest in renewable energy.
This story was originally published by Grist and BPR, a public radio station serving western North Carolina.
Gwen Christon runs an IGA grocery store in Isom, a town in eastern Kentucky that struggles with exorbitant utility bills and few grocery options. Climate change is worsening both problems. When the state’s record flood of 2022 devastated her supermarket, the town became a food desert as she scrambled to reopen. She soon turned to a small, local financial institution called the Mountain Association for help. With its support, the store, a steadfast community institution since it opened in 1973, found funding for rooftop solar, and more efficient coolers, heating, and air conditioning. Those improvements saved Christon enough on her power bills to reopen—and hire 10 additional employees.