Ian will share how Hurricane Helene sparked an ambitious $5 million microgrid initiative across Western North Carolina, bringing solar plus battery systems to community hubs in six counties through a partnership between the Land of Sky Regional Council, NC Sustainable Energy Association, and the Footprint Project. He'll explore how distributed energy can transform disaster resilience and why this model could be the future of how we power our communities. After the talk, join Ian at his table from 6:15 to 7:15 PM for a closer look at one of the microgrid systems up close!