Clyde wanted to start a vineyard post-retirement, despite the couple’s lack of agricultural experience. He had been a teacher, and she had retired from IBM. Pat wanted to make sure that she was serving the community and bettering the environment during her retirement.

“The only thing I could think of that would combine my desire to give back with his desire to have a vineyard was to go organic,” Pat said.

As the couple surveyed properties, the fields became indistinguishable. During the search, the Colwells consulted faculty at North Carolina State University who said local vineyards couldn’t be organic. The humidity encourages fungus growth, and pests like the Japanese Beetle strip vines of all their leaves.

Pat was skeptical. Before Europeans set foot in North Carolina, the muscadine grape flourished without assistance.

In 2005, the Colwells bought the abandoned farm, bush-hogged the weeds and wild blackberries dominating the land, and planted their first grape vines. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Agriculture certified their business, Carolina Heritage Vineyard and Winery, as organic. In 2021, the Colwells, with the help of hired laborers, harvested nine tons of grapes from five and a half acres. Half of those vines are muscadines, and the other half consists of six hybrids of American and European varieties. Having collected enough to make this year’s batches of wine, the couple left some grapes on the vines.

Picking the Right Grape

A row of several short grape vines in the Colwells’ front yard is the key to their environmentally- and economically-sustainable vineyard. Whenever the couple stumbles upon a wine that they enjoy, they plant a small vine to see if it can survive the hot, humid North Carolinian climate. If the small sample struggles, they don’t plant more in their vineyard.

Because they ensure that their vines can survive without chemical assistance, Pat said she’s confident Carolina Heritage can continue organic operations in the face of any weather shifts due to climate change in the foreseeable future.

Pat and Clyde Colwell harvested 9 tons of grapes from five and a half acres in 2021 without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

Mark Hoffman, a small fruits specialist at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Office, said picking the right grape for the location is the best way for a vineyard to be sustainable. While demand may be high for wines from European grapes like Riesling, Chardonnay and Merlot, those vines will only be able to withstand the heat and humidity of the Southeast with chemical assistance.

Grape vines can live 20 to 40 years. Hoffman said vineyard owners should carefully research what types of grapes are suited to a property’s soil and climate. Not only do vineyard owners need to consider what their local climate is like now as they plant vines, but they need to think about what North Carolina’s weather will be decades from now.

Hardiness zones that determine what plants will thrive where are shifting north in response to climate change. Hoffman said grapes that already need chemical assistance in North Carolina will be unsustainable as the state’s average temperature rises. Not only will the application of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers be harmful for the environment, the vine maintenance will cost too much for vineyards to make a profit.

Native and hybrid grape variants will be easier and cheaper to maintain. Hybrids of European and American grapes will be vital to a wine industry adapting to a warming climate.

“European genetics bring in the flavor, and American bring in the hardiness,” Hoffman said.

Weather patterns also affect a wine’s taste. In summer, there’s a smaller difference between North Carolina’s day and night temperatures than in Europe. Hoffman said temperature and evaporation have an impact on the grape’s acid and sugar levels. The warmer it is, the faster grapes ripen and the more sugar and less acidity there will be. In other words, a wine made from grapes grown in Europe will not taste the same as wine made from the same variety of grape grown in North Carolina.

Green Tourism

If North Carolina vineyards choose to implement sustainable practices, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality recognizes them through the NC Green Travel Program.

Carolina Heritage has earned the highest rating of environmental stewardship possible in the program. Pat Colwell, however, expressed some doubt that all “green” vineyards and wineries are actually using sustainable practices.

The program’s manager, Tom Rhodes, said a committee reviews all businesses wishing to be recognized. To apply, owners identify their sustainable practices. The committee awards points based on how much effort and investment the sustainable practice requires. Implementing green practices can be as easy as printing on both sides of a piece of paper in the office or as demanding as starting a wildlife refuge on the property or not using pesticides.

On a sunny fall day, Carolina Heritage’s vines were almost completely bare, but the parking lot was full just an hour after opening. A large group of women bought a few samples to try together. A harpist and flutist set up in the corner, and a couple chatted while sipping their wine. Despite doubts shared by experts when the Colwells planted their vines, their dream of running a vineyard that nourished rather than depleted the land had come to be.

Starting sustainable practices can be expensive at first, but can save money long-term. Rhodes said ensuring pipes aren’t leaking or insulating a water heater saves resources that the business doesn’t have to pay for. “Green vineyards can save money, and they tend to attract more visitors,” Rhodes said. “Because people want to be green — and drunk.”

Pat and Clyde Colwell run an organic vineyard and winery in Yadkin Valley, NC.

The cultural movement known as transhumanism has been in charge of drawing quite an eloquent map for the destiny of humanity. Projections such as these populate the cultural paradigm of our time: hordes of cyborg humans with enhanced capabilities thanks to their mechanical implants, nanotechnology applied to biomedicine that will allow us to reach new horizons in the cure of diseases, and a long etcetera. However, all these glimpses into the future have a considerable number of shadows in our immediate present.

The artist Neil Harbisson is an example of the latter. He was the first human to be recognized as a cyborg by a state. Harbisson is known for featuring a cranial implant that gives him abilities of all kinds: he can perceive invisible colors such as infrared or ultraviolet, has an internet connection and can even receive calls. Now Neil’s main activity in the public sphere is outreach and activism for the rights of cyborg people. The whole movement generated by Harbisson opens a door to utopia.

All these utopias – which at times become real – distract the public and might the effect of overshadowing urgent issues. The environmental problems associated with the development of human activity on the planet are countless. There are a multitude of short-term goals that require immediate action by countries. However, the population is not going to spontaneously change their behavior overnight. It is necessary, more than at any previous time, to focus on the goals that require faster action by people and also require structural changes in the way we live.

Agricultural dystopia

In the context described above, it is pertinent to outline the dystopian future to which we are heading if we do not take immediate decisions. Estimates suggest that by the year 2050 there will be a population of 10 billion people on the planet. Even more worrying is the estimate made by the Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations: “Available data suggest that two-thirds of the world’s population could be living in water-stressed countries by 2025 if current consumption patterns continue.”  All this points to a near term in which we should be concerned about water resource management and optimization. Agriculture accounts for about 70% of the water withdrawn and up to 95% in developing countries (FAO). The urgency of solving the agricultural crisis is of the utmost importance for our short-term future.

The hope of vertical agriculture

Large population centers are today the places where most people live. This trend will continue in the years to come. The next step, therefore, will be to feed these large agglomerations of human populations. One of the solutions being considered is the development of vertical agriculture, with crops integrated into urban centers. This would save all transportation costs between the countryside and the cities, reducing, among other things, the carbon footprint associated with all the food that has to be transported. Each square meter of floor space dedicated to vertical farming produces approximately the same amount of vegetable crops as 50 square meters of agricultural land cultivated in the traditional way. The benefits of vertical farming are a hope for the sustainability of the agricultural sector.

Hydroponics: Alternative to traditional agriculture

One of the advancing forms of vertical farming is hydroponics. This booming mode of production does not use soil like traditional agriculture. It incorporates a mineral solution dissolved in water that feeds the plants during their growth. This is not a totally new technique, though. The Aztecs or the Romans, among other civilizations, developed rudimentary hydroponic cultivation methods. There are several types of hydroponic systems:

– NFT, which includes the creation of a recirculating film of nutrient solution. It does not require measuring time or substrate.

– Floating root, where the plants are in a sheet or raft that floats over a nutrient solution, so that their roots are submerged in the nutrient solution.

– Aeroponics, where the roots are suspended in the air and are misted with nutrient solution every few minutes.

– Ebb and flow: The container that houses the plant drains the nutrient solution which returns to the plant through a circuit.

Furthermore, the use of rock wool in combination with hydroponics is becoming a more common practice to increase the sustainability of the process.

Rock wool is a non-combustible insulating material, originally used to protect buildings against possible fires. The implementation of this material in hydroponic agriculture allows to reduce land use by 80%, water use by 50%, fertilizer use by 58% and increase productivity by 76%.

In the year 2020, the use of rock wool, also known as mineral wool, in agriculture has led to saving about 28,795 gallons of water and 18,336 tons of fertilizer materials, according to Rockwool, one of the leader manufacturers of this product in Spain. Furthermore, this material increased the productivity of vegetables in the agriculture industry by 2.23 million metric tons.

Utopia or dystopia

Many of the innovations in the field of agriculture have brought generous advances
in saving water resources and increasing productivity. However, it remains to be seen whether the narrative that raises awareness among producers and consumers is heading in the right direction. The initial critique of this text on Transhumanism appeals to a need to separate secondary needs from urgent needs. If technological progress is oriented towards the former, the medium-term future of human life will become uncertain. Utopias are narratives that can materialize our current decisions into the future. No mechanized humans will be able to thrive in a wasteland where nothing can be grown. We must re-focus the story. We must channel the utopian and avoid the impending dystopia we face.

Simmons, program manager at one of 10 advocacy groups now a part of OWF4NC, knew that the formation of the coalition could be a major step forward in the state’s battle against climate change.

Most individuals have heard of wind energy as one of the leading renewable energy sources, but a subset known as offshore wind energy is emerging as a promising power source.

Wind energy uses turbines to capture kinetic energy or energy generated from movement. As air pushes turbines into motion, conversion technology takes the energy generated from the spinning turbines to produce clean and renewable electricity.

Offshore wind energy takes place in bodies of water where high wind speeds generate more clean energy.

“Offshore wind is the best option for large-scale renewable energy,” Simmons said. “The average-sized project can generate as much as 10 times the average large-scale solar or onshore wind facility, and equals that of a traditional fossil fuel plant.”

N.C. prime candidate for offshore wind projects

 Currently, North Carolina has one major land-based, wind energy project and no offshore projects. However, the coast of North Carolina makes the state a prime candidate for major offshore wind energy projects in the next few years.

North Carolina’s Governor, Roy Cooper, has recently expanded his Clean Energy Plan with the signing of Executive Order 218 that calls for North Carolina to produce 2.8 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 and 8 gigawatts by 2040. If the state could generate 8 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, that would be enough to power 2.3 million homes with clean energy, all from turbines off of North Carolina’s coast.

“In recent developments by state legislatures, we’ve set a state goal to be carbon neutral by 2050,” Simmons said. “In order to reach that carbon neutrality, offshore wind will be essential in North Carolina.”

The formation of the OWF4NC coalition comes at a time when offshore wind energy is needed the most to help limit fossil fuel usage and slow climate change.

“We need action from coalitions and advocates from across the state to get the ball rolling on investing in offshore wind energy if we want to lessen our usage of fossil fuels and truly have some impact on the fight against climate change, which we need sooner rather than later with the way things are going,” Simmons said.

Challenges to the development of offshore wind farms

But inevitable challenges in the development of these projects have continued to surface.

“These projects take an incredible amount of time and research before even moving into actually building offshore wind farms,” said Derb Carter, a leader in the North Carolina office of the Southern Environmental Law Center. “There are concerns with impacts in fishing patterns, environmental risks, the flying patterns of birds and obstruction of ocean views. You’re also having to bring construction tools out into the ocean and assemble these massive turbines which generate a lot of noise pollution for the marine life in those areas.”

Even with challenges in planning and building offshore wind farms, advocates are working to ensure that the public understands how offshore wind energy can hasten the transition from reliance on fossil fuels to the use of clean energy.

“One of the purposes of the OWF4NC coalition is to raise awareness for how important the installation of offshore wind farms will be in North Carolina to reduce our use of fossil fuels,” Simmons said. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to make a change in climate change.”

Planning for the first offshore wind energy projects in North Carolina has already begun. Developers have identified three areas for offshore wind projects off the North Carolina coast: Kitty Hawk, Wilmington and Brunswick. These locations have been or are in the process of being leased to energy companies like Avangrid that has been a leader in offshore wind energy investment. The Kitty Hawk location was leased to Avangrid in 2017 after being studied for years by scientists and construction experts to determine how to minimize disruption to marine ecosystems during the building and operation of the wind farm.

If all goes according to plan, the Kitty Hawk offshore wind farm should begin construction in 2025 with the farm generating electricity to power grids by 2026. The farm would generate one gigawatt of wind energy enough to power 300,000 homes.

If you happen to visit the coasts of North Carolina in the next decade and see large turbines spinning miles out in the ocean, know that they could be the future for clean energy in the state and an essential component in fighting the battle against climate change.

Climate change affects nearly every aspect of life, whether it’s the air, water, or ground. To raise awareness and push for change, advocates are leveraging social media to reach an international audience.

Pollution of the air and ground have major impacts on humans, while water pollution has widespread climate, health and economic implications. Nearly half of pollution in oceans comes from sewage, agricultural runoff, industrial dumping, chemical spills and other land sources. In some areas, agricultural runoff from pesticides and fertilizers depletes the ocean of oxygen. These so-called dead zones make it difficult for marine animals to survive. According to an article published in Science, zero oxygen dead zones have quadrupled since 1950. Nearly a third of ocean pollution comes from airborne sources. These pollutants including sulfur dioxide, mercury and lead largely come from point sources such as coal-burning power plants.

Single-use plastics is another source of water pollution. In the ocean, plastics can entrap wildlife. Fish and other sea life can ingest smaller pieces of plastic, called microplastics, that can then enter the human food chain.

An organization leveraging the Internet to combat this issue, Plastic Oceans International, creates film and other digital content to help the public rethink the use of plastics in everyday life. The organization has created a documentary and holds education programs across North America and Europe. Plastic Oceans International also strives through digital media to empower youth to have an impact on the environment.

A pair of YouTube personalities are using their platform and following to remove plastics from the ocean. Jimmy Donaldson and Mark Rober have started a clean-up project called #TeamSeas. The goal of #TeamSeas is to remove 30 million pounds of trash from the oceans by January 1, 2022. As of December 2021, more than 17.5 million pounds of plastics have been removed. Although their goal may still seem distant, Donaldson and Rober have had a profound impact by using their online following.

Plastic is only part of the issue. The most notable and widespread impact of pollution on oceans is ocean acidification. The oceans are among earth’s largest carbon sinks, reservoirs that store carbon. As oceans absorb increasing amounts of CO2, they become more acidic. Acidified water threatens marine species with major impacts on indicator species, such as coral reefs and plankton.

Climate change and ocean pollution threaten human health as well. Toxic chemicals dumped into oceans can contaminate water supplies and the food chain by affecting aquatic life. Humans risk exposure through consuming contaminated food, swimming in polluted waterways, or drinking tainted water. Chemical pollution can disrupt human hormonal, reproductive and nervous systems, and in some cases, lead to cancer.

“Chemicals that pollute water are especially dangerous because of the human health impacts,” said Nagu Keshava, a genetic toxicologist at the Environmental Protection Agency. “Environmental contaminants in water can bioaccumulate and can have snowballing effects over time.”

In the United States, governmental organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have published a lot of media about the connections between climate change, water pollution and human health. Flyers and graphics on websites and social media platforms inform people about the importance of avoiding contaminated water sources.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has published a report that documents how the impact of the climate on the economy and ecosystems leads to food scarcity. The IPCC has pushed its findings onto social media to show the scientific research behind these findings.

Social media platforms can inform the public and help initiate movements to combat the impacts of water pollution and threats posed by climate change.

Accommodating an expanding urban population in the Research Triangle has led to the loss of more than 100,000 acres of land every year, according to the North Carolina Forest Service. In this metropolitan area, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, demand for housing and commercial buildings poses a threat to North Carolina’s forests. 

Since 1977 The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina has been fighting for protected areas and promoting sustainable forest management in the state. In December 2017, the Conservancy joined Twitter, which has over 38 million users in the United States, according to a Business of Apps article. On Twitter the Conservancy is trying to raise awareness of deforestation while promoting involvement in their programs.

The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina posts links to a variety of media for  its more than 800 followers. The posts feature stunning photographs and videos of forests and landscapes, in addition to links to articles about how to get involved in conservation. The account caters to both users who can scroll quickly through the feed and to newcomers who can check out the account for the first time.

The average attention span for social media users is quite short. According to a Career Arc article, social media posts have about two seconds to grab the attention of the audience. This means that the message of the post needs to grab the viewer’s attention quickly and also portray information in a way that is easy to digest.

Conserving Carolina uses similar tactics on their Twitter account. While the video clip on climate above focuses on negative effects of deforestation, both The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina and Conserving Carolina regularly post about successes in their organizations.

In a research article published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, researchers found that people react more to negative news, but that the power of positive news is often underestimated. Only posting about negative effects of deforestation might desensitize the audience to these impacts, similar to the way that Americans have been desensitized to recurring news stories regarding school shootings (Salon article). To avoid desensitizing their audience, these two North Carolina conservation organizations devote a hefty portion of Twitter posts to photos of what is being protected, rather than destroyed.

Photo featured on Conserving Carolina’s Twitter. DuPont State Forest added a new section of protected land, which connects it to a 100,000+ acre conservation corridor.

Social media producers are finding ways to make media accessible to more people. Linking visitors directly to an outlet where they can volunteer, donate or sign policy proposals leaves less time for the user to become disinterested in the content.

Both The Nature Conservancy of North Carolina and Conserving Carolina’s Twitter accounts consistently post links that provide opportunities for the public to  engage in environmental conservation and learn about specific pro-environment efforts.

This strategy shortens the process to becoming involved. Users don’t have to search for themselves. Instead, they follow a link that is already in their feed. When opportunities for activism are more accessible, the chances of a viewer interacting with the post are higher.

While these online efforts aim to gain support for a greener state, much of North Carolina’s Research Triangle has replaced its natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement, buildings and other surfaces that absorb and retain heat. A document published by the North Carolina Forest Service shows how these “urban islands” create pockets of intense heat within heavily populated communities thereby increasing energy consumption and perpetuating global warming trends.

Construction clearing in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. A parking deck was torn down to make room for another, larger parking deck with over 1,000 spaces (Photo credits: Lauren Ketwitz)

Second angle of parking deck construction, which shows expanse of cleared plot along a road. A separate construction site is seen in the background. (Photo credits: Lauren Ketwitz)

North Carolina has a population of about 10.5 million people, more than 2 million of whom live in the Research Triangle as of 2015, according to a Lawn Starter article. If population growth matches the trend estimated by the North Carolina Forest Service for the next 10 years, the state is set to have 12.4 million residents.

Massive power plant located outside of Cary, North Carolina. This plot of land was cleared and covered in a layer of cement foundation to support the increase of residential power supply needs in the triangle area. (Photo credits: Lauren Ketwitz)

All these people will need places to live and work. As a result, city boundaries will expand and creep closer to one another. Eventually, the term “urban island” could become obsolete. As natural forest cover shrinks and the influence of social media grows, organizations like The Nature Conservancy in North Carolina and Conserving Carolina will have to adapt their methods of informing and educating the public to ensure their messages don’t fall on deaf ears.

Scientific models predict that in the absence of substantial reductions in the burning of fossil fuels the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will double during this century. This is why many countries and localities around the world, including North Carolina, are increasing communication about the dangers posed by greenhouse gas emissions.

Of the 50 U.S. states, North Carolina ranks as the 36th highest producer of carbon dioxide emissions, producing more than 12-and-a-half metric tons of carbon dioxide per capita, according to a World Atlas article.

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is ramping up communication about greenhouse gases. The NCDEQ’s primary focus is on carbon dioxide, which accounts for 82 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Similarly, carbon dioxide makes up 81 percent of all greenhouse gases in the earth’s atmosphere.

Electricity, a major source of greenhouse gases

In a study of North Carolina’s greenhouse gas emissions between 2005 and 2017, the NCDEQ found that electricity accounted for the highest portion of greenhouse gas emissions at 35 percent. To increase awareness of North Carolina’s greenhouse gas emissions, NCDEQ made the results of this study public in 2019.

Paula Hemmer, a senior engineer for NCDEQ, said that analysts used data from this study to develop a goal of a 70 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in the electricity sector by 2030.

“That was published in NCDEQ’s Clean Energy Plan,” Hemmer said. In October of 2021, the Clean Energy Plan (HB 951) was signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper.

The plan has multiple goals. In addition to a 70 percent reduction of carbon dioxide, the Clean Energy Plan calls for carbon neutrality by 2050, meaning that no additional carbon dioxide in the state will be released into the atmosphere. Long-term energy affordability and the acceleration of clean energy development and deployment are other key goals.

NCDEQ is communicating to the public the threats posed by additional greenhouse gas emissions. “When we published the greenhouse gas inventory in 2019, we issued a press release, we had a public comment period, and we presented the inventory at various state government meetings,” Hemmer said.

Live links on NCDEQ website

To communicate with the public, NCDEQ maintains a news section on their website where the department posts news articles and offers live links to meetings held by the department and other governmental entities. Notes posted on the NCDEQ website detail the agendas discussed during those meetings.

NCDEQ also offers signups for department press releases. Visitors can choose to receive press releases from all divisions within the department or just specific divisions.

NCDEQ is also active on social media. On their official Twitter account, NCDEQ tweets or retweets information at least once per day and often multiple times per day to their 9,000 followers. NCDEQ also has a Facebook page followed by more than 8,400 people. Posts appear nearly every day and often multiple times per day.
In addition to the creation of the Clean Energy Plan, the department has recently started other initiatives details of which officials will release in early 2022.

Hemmer said that even though state actions can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in North Carolina, the public can play a role as well. “Communicating to increase public awareness and having personal commitment to reducing your own carbon footprint is equally important to state actions,” Hemmer said.

Climate change is one of the main contributors to rising global temperatures. Use of fossil fuels contributes to increased carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere. These gases fuel the greenhouse effect that the National Resources Defense Council describes as “the natural warming of the earth that results when gases in the atmosphere trap heat from the sun that would otherwise escape into space.”

With colder temperatures in winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the body’s immune system has a harder time fighting off viral infections like colds and influenza.

Rising temperatures make humans more susceptible to heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Extended exposure to heat can lead to dehydration that inhibits the body’s ability to maintain its normal temperature through perspiration. Heat stroke occurs when the body overheats and is unable to cool down. The inability to regulate the body’s internal temperature damages the organ systems and can lead to death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States averages around 702 heat-related deaths per year. The CDC considers these deaths to be generally “preventable.” Since 1980 global heat-related deaths have increased 74 percent. That increase is associated with global warming trends.

High temperatures can also pose health threats through excessive rainfall. Rising air temperatures lead to warming of oceans and other bodies of water. Warmer oceans increase the amount of water that evaporates leading to more frequent and more intense periods of precipitation, through either rain or snow.

 

Rising temperatures lead to floods

 

In North Carolina excessive rain from tropical storms has its greatest impacts on the eastern coast and in towns around the state’s coastal wetlands. Flooding poses threats to the state’s agricultural sector with flooding destroying crops and, in some cases, washing out local farmland. Floodwater also can contain a slew of trash and pollutants that can threaten human and animal health.

Excessive rain can overwhelm drainage and sewer systems leading treatment plants to discharge untreated waste. Additionally, power outages caused by flooding can disable wastewater treatment facilities

More rain and warmer temperatures foster higher humidity, resulting in worsening of allergies and respiratory issues like asthma. “Higher temperatures and humidity can exacerbate poor indoor air quality and result in excess moisture, dampness and mold in a home. These conditions can trigger respiratory illnesses, like asthma and increase susceptibility to heat-related illnesses,” according to the North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan.

Intense heat brought on by global warming fosters brush fires, larger wildfires, and increased exposure to pollutants. When fires occur, they release large amounts of smoke and other pollutants into the air. Small particles called particulate matter can enter people’s lungs worsening breathing problems, and in some cases, causing irreversible damage to the lungs.

In a power outage, what happens? Lights go dark, and electronic devices go quiet. The realization of the outage comes when you flip a light switch or plug in a phone to an outlet and nothing happens. But for Warren Kibbe of Chapel Hill, the lights remain on, the refrigerator stays cold, and the WiFi doesn’t go out.

“When we lose power, the batteries take over,” said Kibbe, chief for Translational Biomedical Informatics at the Duke Cancer Institute. “I don’t even notice when it takes over in some rooms.” That’s because Kibbe has 56 solar panels on his house and a lithium-ion battery that can store power the panels produce.

Lithium-ion batteries are one of the most common types of energy storage and can either be used in conjunction with an alternative energy source, like Kibbe’s home solar panels, or by themselves, fed by energy from the power grid.

Kibbe’s two Tesla Powerwall batteries — each of which stand about 3 feet tall, 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep — standy by ready if and when his local utility, Duke Energy, suffers an extended power cut. At that time Kibbe can flip a switch and send electrical energy from his batteries to power his kitchen, a heat pump and lights throughout his house. The batteries usually don’t recharge the Tesla car although they could in the event of an extended power cut.

“The batteries can store about half of what the solar panels can produce on a really bright day — about 45 kilowatt hours,” he said. (For reference, a kilowatt hour is the amount of energy equal to sustaining a thousand watts of power for an hour.)

High cost of lithium-ion home batteries

Although North Carolina is a leader in solar power, solar panels and batteries like Kibbe’s are far from commonplace. Starting prices for leading battery models like the Tesla Powerwall or the Generac PWRcell are several thousands of dollars, and that’s not including the battery installation or the cost of solar panels.

But according to Rui Shan, a graduate research assistant in environmental sciences and engineering at UNC Chapel Hill, several factors will make batteries more popular including falling prices, increasing climate awareness and increasing familiarity with energy storage technology.

“Costs are always declining,” Shan said. “We can foresee a future with everyone with a battery in their households.”

James Robinson, senior project development manager at Strata Solar, said although Strata works with the utilities side of energy storage, he knows the market for residential lithium-ion batteries is growing.

“The products sold on the market are very well-developed and fully commercialized,” Robinson said. “The market itself is still developing but close to mature.”

Robinson said right now, buying a home battery is usually less of an economic decision and done more for resiliency, which is the ability for the power grid to withstand disturbances or failures.

Kibbe said although his main motivation for getting solar panels was to be environmentally friendly, the main draw toward the batteries is their resiliency, such as providing power during outages, and doing so smoothly.

Shan said these batteries can provide power for four to six hours following an outage. Despite this benefit, the costs associated with batteries will not yet save consumers money.

Incentives for battery storage

To help with the financial costs of buying a battery, some government and utilities companies offer rates that incentivize battery storage, Robinson from Strata Solar said. But these mainly exist in metropolitan areas in New York and California, and they’re rare.

In Vermont, Robinson said Green Mountain Power is incentivizing home batteries to improve the grid for everyone. “They’re subsidizing energy storage in exchange for control of how it is used,” he said. “If you can get everyone in a city to discharge their battery during a heat wave, it would provide value in the aggregate.”

The thriving solar industry in North Carolina has led lawmakers to offer tax credits, rebates and other incentives  to consumers over the years, but the same cannot be said for battery storage.

Other types of storage, such as iron-sulfur and hydrogen batteries, are less developed and much more expensive, Shan said. Costs of batteries do go down over time. For example, the price of lithium-ion batteries has gone down by 97 percent since their introduction 30 years ago, according to OurWorldinData.org.

Lithium-ion home batteries may take several years to become more popular in North Carolina. But Shan said with time, as awareness of this technology grows among consumers and prices fall, North Carolina residents may find home energy storage an affordable option.