Impact

Serving the Communities Where We Build, Live and Work

From building sustainably and creating high-paying jobs, to partnering with mission-driven organizations and supporting causes that improve lives, Blue Ridge Power strives to make a positive impact in our communities, country and world.

How We Do It

Building Sustainably

Sustainability is more than an initiative at Blue Ridge Power. It’s the foundation of our company culture.

As a clean energy construction company, we have a responsibility to be good environmental stewards and care for the land where we build.

Advancements in sustainable practices are happening all the time. Because we self-perform all stages of construction, we have unique opportunities to be creative, adjust our processes, and trial new ideas. From our project sites to office locations, our cross-functional team of experts in the industry work together to implement new solutions for reducing our environmental impact.

How We Do It

Service Offerings

We offer project owners the option to integrate additional practices throughout construction, including:

Job site emissions accounting
Topsoil preservation
Pollinator habitat and native vegetation
Organic material recycling

Waste Management

Sustainable Design

Protecting Our Water

It’s no secret that construction generates waste. From building materials to packaging, Blue Ridge Power is committed to mitigating our contribution to the pileup by reducing and reusing as much waste as possible.

In addition to providing recycling receptacles on all project sites, Blue Ridge Power is implementing programs to recycle or refurbish all unusable solar modules, phase out single-use plastics, and partner with equipment suppliers to reduce packaging waste.

Sustainable solar sites start with sustainable designs. Before construction begins, our engineering team considers how transforming a piece of land into a solar facility may impact its existing ecosystems, from wildlife to water quality, ensuring all site plans comply with local, state, federal regulations and industry best practices. This determines where solar arrays, roads, wildlife corridors and site boundaries are placed.

Blue Ridge Power and our partners have worked with The Nature Conservancy to pioneer the use of wildlife permeable fencing to foster greater connectivity for native wildlife, and we utilize this approach wherever permitted by local regulations. We also work with project owners to use native grass seed mixtures and support pollinators whenever possible.

Maintaining the integrity of our project sites’ water sources and their ecosystems is a top priority.

With a focus on erosion and sediment control and stormwater management, Blue Ridge Power’s Environmental Compliance team ensures site personnel have a thorough understanding of all required permits, regulatory expectations and sustainable practices prior to the start of any construction activities.

Sustainability Initiatives

Play Video about Claudia Emerson

Plastic-Free Hydration

Starting with an initiative to replace plastic water bottles with aluminum, Blue Ridge Power’s Director of Sustainability Claudia Emerson highlights the first steps we’re taking to reduce single-use plastic waste on our project sites. Since launching the initiative in August 2022, Blue Ridge Power has prevented the use of hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles. Watch the video to learn more.

Solar Module Recycling

Blue Ridge Power is committed to keeping all of our inoperative solar modules out of landfills. We work with recycling facilities throughout the country to recycle or refurbish modules that have become damaged or unusable—reducing the amount of new, raw materials that must be extracted from the earth for module production.

Wildlife Permeable Fencing

Wildlife permeable fencing is constructed with larger spaces than traditional chain link fencing, allowing smaller and medium-size animals to travel freely through our solar sites. This gives them continued access to their habitats and maintains the health of their ecosystems.

Wildlife corridors, or strips of land that connect two areas of a habitat, serve as traveling avenues, giving animals access to all the resources they need to survive, grow their populations and evade predators.

Supporting Pollinators

Pollinators are integral to our food supply and to the reproduction of plants that clean our air and prevent soil erosion. Blue Ridge Power is experienced in successfully incorporating pollinator habitats on project sites. In coordination with local specialists, individual site conditions are assessed to determine specific seed mixes that will be successful on the land.

When requested, Blue Ridge Power works with project owners to incorporate native or pollinator plant species into on-site revegetation efforts to support pollinators, their crucial crop pollination services, and their rippling benefits to local farms and economies.

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

100%

of all broken modules have been recycled across all Blue Ridge Power project sites in 2023

80%

of on-site waste diverted to recycling at Phobos, 110 MW pilot project site in Eastern NC

679,320

single-use plastic water bottles eliminated across all project sites (11 tons!)

350+

light-duty fleet vehicles now monitored per the 30-minute daily idling limit policy

50%

idle emissions reduction goal for fleet vehicles, potentially saving 300 tons of carbon per year

Creating Careers

Blue Ridge Power believes in creating economic opportunities for Americans in the clean energy sector. Our PowerUp Workforce Development Programs have been designed for those who are ready to start a high-paying and fulfilling career in solar through paid internships and apprenticeships—no college required.

The U.S. Department of Labor currently recognizes the PowerUp Apprenticeship Program as a Registered Apprenticeship in North Carolina, Texas and Missouri.

Recent college graduates are also welcome at Blue Ridge Power. Our 18-month College Recruitment Program prepares a cohort of graduates for positions in Engineering, Project Management, Procurement and more.

How We Do It

Supporting Communities

As part of our environmental stewardship efforts, Blue Ridge Power supports Ducks Unlimited, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to conservation of waterfowl and wetland habitats across North America. Our contributions have specifically supported their work with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to improve habitat in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area.

In our own backyards, Blue Ridge Power supports organizations local to our offices in Fayetteville, NC and Asheville, NC, including the school systems, environmental groups, athletics, youth organizations and more. Beyond our communities, Blue Ridge Power makes ongoing contributions to social justice causes to support marginalized groups.