MOORESVILLE, N.C. — A Mooresville businessman is helping people in need power up by donating thousands of solar panels to families and businesses in the Caribbean.
Michal Bay is the owner of Merino Mill in Mooresville. Bay said his upbringing taught him the importance of giving back.
Bay told WCNC Charlotte that the entire solar system is worth $2.5 million.
“Haiti reminds me of life, and childhood in my village in the east of Turkey,” said Bay. “So, if I can help someone’s life in a minimal way then it will make me happy.”
His business center is filled with retail and office spaces – it is also the home of 5,400 solar panels.
“At the time it was the largest solar panel project in North Carolina,” Bay said.
As Bay rented out more business spaces, he said he received more requests for air conditioning units, which meant he had to remove several solar panels to make space. That’s when he decided to donate all the solar panel systems and he partnered with “Promise for Haiti,” a Belmont-based nonprofit, to make it happen.
“It can make a huge impact even for the next generation because they will be able to get online and be able to have electricity,” Bay said.
According to the World Bank, over half of Haiti’s population does not have access to electricity.
The solar panels are currently being removed from the property. They will be pressure washed and shipped overseas.
Bay said Haiti, the first independent Black republic in the world, is a country he admires. Haiti continues to face hardships, including natural disasters and economic hardships, and Bay said he just wants to help.
“Very hard-working people trying to survive after the disaster and they deserve the help now and not in 20 years,” he said.
He expects the solar systems to be distributed in two to three months. Bay plans to visit the country to see the panels at work once they are installed.
Contact Jesse Pierre at jpierrepet@wcnc.com or follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.