North Carolina Solar Firm Lays Off 78% of Workforce, as Trump’s War on Clean Energy Continues

Charlotte Observer: “A leading solar energy development firm in North Carolina is closing its Asheville plant and laying off more than 78% of its workforce as it files for bankruptcy due to renewable energy policy changes under the Trump administration.”

Since Donald Trump took office, electricity rates have risen 11% nationally – and he is making the affordability crisis worse by taking energy projects offline

Washington, DC – Today, the Charlotte Observer reported that Pine Gate Renewables is laying off more than 78% of its workforce, impacting 223 workers, with the closure of their Asheville facility. This news comes on the heels of the company filing for bankruptcy, directly citing the passage of the Republican budget bill as a contributing factor. Pine Gate has 107 clean energy projects nationwide, which could power over 2.3 million homes. Its subsidiary, Blue Ridge Power, closed in October, laying off 517 workers. This closure was the state’s second-largest layoff in 2025.  

It’s not just North Carolina. Donald Trump’s war on clean energy continues to shutter facilities across the country – laying off workers and taking critical energy off the grid as electricity costs skyrocket. Climate Power’s October Energy Crisis Snapshot report shows over 158,000 jobs have already been lost or stalled in the clean energy sector, and gas and electric utilities have raised or sought to increase bills by at least $89.9 billion since Trump took office. Meanwhile, soaring energy costs dominated the political conversation in last Tuesday’s elections, offering Democrats a roadmap for the 2026 midterms. 

Climate Power Senior Advisor Jesse Lee issued the following statement: 

“Thom Tillis was right, Trump and his lackey Michael Whatley were wrong. Trump and Republican policies are shuttering energy projects across the country, leaving Americans out of work while their utility costs skyrocket. And as we saw last week, voters have had enough. Republicans running for office in North Carolina should see flashing warning signs – Americans are sick of the GOP energy crisis that is leaving them without work and with higher and higher utility costs each month.” 

Trump’s reckless energy policies are leaving a trail of shuttered projects across the country, including in North Carolina:

• Yesterday, QCells, a solar manufacturing plant in Georgia, announced that it would be furloughing 1,000 workers and permanently laying off an additional 300.

• In just two months, six clean energy projects were closed in Michigan, including most recently, two electric vehicle battery plants that laid off 324 workers. 

• Last month, General Motors laid off 1,200 workers at its electric vehicle plant in Detroit, along with hundreds of additional permanent and temporary layoffs at battery plants in Ohio and Tennessee. 

• In October, Topsoe cited the repeal of clean energy tax credits as a reason for canceling 150 jobs and a $400 million investment in their Richmond, Virginia facility. 

• Earlier last month, Fox 2 Detroit reported that over 100 employees at Dana Incorporated, an electric vehicle battery component manufacturer in Auburn Hills, Michigan, had been laid off.

• General Motors canceled a $55 million factory that would have created 300 jobs, citing “decisions of the DOE”. 

• Fortescue blamed U.S. “policy settings” and the elimination of “critical tax credits” in Trump and Republicans’ budget bill for the cancellation of their $210 million Detroit EV battery factory. 

• Trump is using the government shutdown as an opportunity to sow even more chaos and uncertainty for American workers by cancelling $8 billion in investments in states that did not vote for him. The Trump administration has put $24 billion for energy projects on the chopping block since May. 

• Trump’s federal energy policies contributed to battery startup, Natron Energy, shutting down and canceling its planned $1.4 billion factory in Eastern North Carolina, which would have created 1,000 jobs. 

• Blue Ridge Power blamed insurmountable “market headwinds” impacting the renewable energy industry for their decision to lay off 517 workers in North Carolina. 
• Trump planned to revoke federal permitting for a Maryland wind farm, which would have powered 718,000 homes and supported more than 1,300 jobs.