Case Study: Hurricane Helene – Hot Springs Microgrid
Research

Case Study: Hurricane Helene – Hot Springs Microgrid

  • Utility-Scale Microgrid Solutions - Duke Energy chose a solar+battery-powered microgrid over traditional grid upgrades for resilience.
  • Successful Regulatory Innovations: Duke Energy obtained regulatory approval by demonstrating the microgrid’s value to Hot Springs residents and all customers.
  • Clean Source of Backup During Hurricane Helene - The Hot Springs Microgrid kept power on for 143.5 hours during an outage caused by Hurricane Helene.

During Hurricane Helene, heavy rains and flooding forced the shutdown of Duke Energy’s Marshall Substation, resulting in a prolonged power outage that could have left Hot Springs without electricity for over 262 hours. However, Duke Energy activated the Hot Springs Microgrid on October 2, 2024, maintaining and supplying power to the town center for 143.5 hours.

This case study examines the microgrid’s success in leveraging solar PV and battery storage to provide emergency power to the Western North Carolina community of Hot Springs during Hurricane Helene. The case study also highlighted the microgrid’s broader benefits. It includes how Duke Energy demonstrated its value for both Hot Springs residents as a source of resilience and to other Duke Energy customers in order to secure approval with its regulators as a cost-effective grid asset for grid capacity, reliability and resilience.

Authors and Contributors:
  • Jared Leader, Senior Director of Research, Smart Electric Power Alliance and SEPA Microgrids Working Group Advisor
  • Jason Handley, General Manager, Distributed Energy Group, Duke Energy and SEPA Microgrids Working Group Co-Chair

Case Study: Hurricane Helene - Hot Springs Microgrid