Mountain Electric Cooperative members: solar and backup in the High Country

Who Mountain Electric Cooperative is

Mountain Electric Cooperative was incorporated in 1941 and has served East Tennessee and western North Carolina since. It is based in Mountain City, Tennessee and serves more than 33,500 homes and businesses in Johnson, Unicoi and Carter counties in Tennessee and Avery, Burke, McDowell and Watauga counties in North Carolina. Its NC members include Newland, Linville, Banner Elk, Crossnore and Beech Mountain.

It is a member-owned cooperative supplied by the Tennessee Valley Authority, and its rates are set by the co-op under its TVA contract rather than by the NC Utilities Commission.

Avery County is also served in part by Blue Ridge Energy, so check your bill.

How solar works here

Duke's North Carolina net metering riders do not apply. Mountain Electric's website points members to TVA programs, including Dispersed Power Production, Green Connect and Green Power Switch, but does not post its own home solar interconnection policy. Ask the co-op for its current requirements, metering arrangement and fees in writing before buying equipment.

TVA runs a program called Green Connect that gives homeowners access to a network of solar installers whose work is checked against TVA standards and verified by an independent third party. Separately, TVA's Dispersed Power Production program buys power from small generators, including residential solar, at TVA's avoided cost under a five-year agreement. TVA's older Green Power Providers incentive closed to new applicants at the end of 2019.

High Country roofs often face snow load, wind on exposed ridges and shade in deep coves. A south-facing ground mount on a cleared slope sometimes beats the roof. That is something to settle on site.

What Helene taught the High Country

Helene in late September 2024 hit Mountain Electric's NC territory hard. Nearly two weeks after the storm, the co-op reported about 5,000 members still out in the Newland area, with crews rebuilding lines and replacing poles one service at a time. Underground service took longer because junctions, transformers and wire were washed away. Highway 105 was closed so crews could set poles between Linville and Invershield.

Many homes here are on wells and heat with propane or wood. A battery sized for the well pump, fridge and furnace fan, plus a propane generator for long outages, is a common setup.

Get a real quote this season

Getting a solar contractor to return a call out here can take weeks. On HomeBackupPros you can book a home energy evaluation for $349: an electric audit, a review of how you use power, and a written quote for a system. If you buy the system from that same contractor, the $349 is credited toward the price. Contractors can also offer a free site visit or send an estimate, and you choose.

Every contractor is reviewed and approved by our team before they can respond, and we check their NC electrical contractor license number. They are independent businesses. HomeBackupPros does not install anything and does not employ them.

Ask the contractor to confirm Mountain Electric's current interconnection rules as part of the quote.