ACRE Aims to Open Solar Panel Factory in Ashe County

By Joel Frady

The need for jobs in Ashe County is on everyone's mind, and the recently formed group Ashe County Renewable Energy is attempting to put some of the county's empty facilities to use by opening a plant to produce solar water-heaters.

Ann Goss, founding president of ACRE, said that she got the idea for the project when she heard President Obama on television discussing the idea of turning old manufacturing facilities into green energy facilities.

Goss formed the group, which has met weekly since January. She said that they are talking to a similar company, Alternate Energy Technologies in Jacksonville, Fla., who told ACRE that they can provide the know-how to get a manufacturing facility up-and-running in 60 days.

The plant would start producing solar water-heaters first, but the group hopes to produce other products in the future as well.

From a business standpoint, Goss said that they have discussed making the business a cooperative, like Blue Ridge Electric, that members of the community can join. Aside from member dues, however, ACRE currently hopes to receive funds from the U.S. stimulus package.

"I think, given what we've gotten done and what we're going to have done before the time we apply for that money, that we've got a good chance of getting stimulus money to go forward with our manufacturing," said Goss.

Goss noted that "the way things are now, I think it would be very hard to get investors other than by going the route of a co-op" and that she "thinks our best bet is the stimulus money and grants that are available other places for green energy, so that's what we're focusing on."

But for Goss and the other members of ACRE, the goal is simple: create long-term jobs in Ashe County.

"The one thing that we need more in this county than anything else is a manufacturing facility that we know will stay in the county and provide jobs for our people," said Goss. She later added that she thinks "we could make the best product" here in Ashe, and that she doesn't "think there's any limit to what we could branch out into if [ACRE] gets a start."

Check future editions of Ashe Mountain Times for further coverage on ACRE and their proposed manufacturing plant. To find out more about ACRE, contact Goss at (336) 246-4493 or e-mail heap_lilac@yahoo.com.