From the Blue Ridge Sustainability Institute:

BRSI Announces Sundance Power Systems as Solar Contractor for Green Restaurant Initiative

BRSI is partnering with the Asheville Independent Restaurant (AIR) Association to "green" 17 local independent restaurants through a $258,000 grant from North Carolina Green Business Fund. Our goal is to put Asheville on the map as the Green Dining Destination City with the highest per-capita density of Green Certified Restaurants® in the country. To help participating restaurants obtain Green Certification, the grant is providing part of the funding for solar installations, energy efficiency upgrades, and energy conservation education. These upgrades will reduce the restaurants' monthly power bills, provide green jobs, and support our region's growing clean energy industry. Eight restaurants are slated for solar thermal installations, which will be completed by the end of this year.

BRSI and AIR are pleased to announce that Sundance Power Systems has been selected to install the solar thermal panels on the eight restaurants receiving solar. Sundance is a Weaverville-based firm that has been installing renewable energy systems in the Asheville area for 16 years with a passion for building a sustainable future. Their extensive experience with commercial solar hot water installations includes the systems located on Mellow Mushroom, Annie's Naturally Bakery, the Pisgah Inn, Asheville Fire Departments #6 and #8, plus Frank Hall, a residence dorm at Appalachian State University.

Sundance has proposed top quality systems for the restaurants and demonstrated a keen attention to detail to ensure each system design will meet the needs of the individual restaurants. We are confident that they will exceed expectations in providing each restaurant with long-lasting installations. The solar thermal panels chosen for the project are SolarHot Equinox solar collectors manufactured in Morrisville, NC. BRSI and AIR are proud to be supporting a top quality North Carolina manufacturer, especially given the recent overseas migration of manufacturing facilities. Additionally, the SolarHot technology was officially tested and ranked "America's most efficient system in its class."

A primary focus of the project is regional economic development and job creation, and nearly 4000 work-hours will be created in conjunction with this initiative. In order to connect clean energy job creation with clean energy job training, BRSI and the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM) Green Jobs program have partnered to allow two recent trained graduates of the ABCCM Solar Thermal Installer training program to work on the Green Restaurant Initiative solar installations. ABCCM trains and places residents from high poverty areas into green jobs and strives to help people become successful while improving the environment. Sundance will be selecting two top graduates of the program to hire for the solar thermal installations.

Through the Green Restaurant Initiative, more local independent restaurants will attract customers who are concerned with eating well, supporting the local economy and reducing their environmental footprint. The following restaurants are expected to be receiving solar thermal systems for hot water production through the grant in the next few months: Posana Café, The French Broad Chocolate Lounge, the Green Sage South, HomeGrown, Luella's BBQ, Tupelo Honey Café, Neo Cantina, and Rosetta's Kitchen. Other restaurants participating in the initiative include Fiores, Fiores South, the Green Sage, Corner Kitchen, Laughing Seed Café, Jack of the Wood, Tupleo Honey South, Bouchon, and Frankie Bones. Hungry yet? Eat well. Eat local. Eat green.