Last Updated on January 9, 2026 by Anne Brock
Solar Alliance is honored to be selected to design and build a community resilience hub funded by Google and created by Appalachian Voices and Appalachian Sustainable Development. This renewable energy system at the Appalachian Harvest building in Duffield, Virginia will support a regional nonprofit food hub engaged in building a stronger food and agriculture economy. It has a focus on sustainable agriculture, food access and regional economic development.
Read all about the announcement by Google and Appalachian Voices here. This collaboration that has been in the works was just publicly announced in early January, for multiple projects to be completed in 2026. Solar Alliance is tasked with building one of the projects.
Read this story with added voices and perspective from the SW Virginia community of Duffied, by journalist Matt Busse of Cardinal News, here.
The hub includes a 75.6 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system along with 246 kilowatt-hour battery energy storage system. Designing the array along with the energy storage or BESS adds resilience to this critical support for neighbors in need. Solar Alliance plans on completing this project in 2026, supporting the project’s mission while providing skilled regional solar industry jobs.
Learn more here about Appalachian Sustainable Development. On their website, they explain their mission, in part, as “ASD plays a critical role in the rural food system in Central Appalachia. We have been able to expand our work and have a greater impact on larger projects that involve numerous partners who value and work to create stronger local food cultures, public health, economic development and workforce development.”
ASD works closely and is supported by Appalachian Voices, which advocates for healthy people, ecosystems and economy in this region. On their website, they explain their mission, in part as, “Founded in 1997, Appalachian Voices brings people together to protect the land, air and water of Central and Southern Appalachia and advance a just transition to a generative and equitable clean energy economy.” You can read more about Appalachian Voices here.