Edelen Renewables Opens Hazard Office, Focusing on Coal-to-Solar Transition

Edelen Renewables, a Lexington-based solar development company, celebrated the grand opening of its downtown Hazard office at 600 Main Street on Dec. 7, planting a permanent presence in Perry County as part of a broader coal-to-solar initiative across Appalachia.

Founder and CEO Adam Edelen framed the opening as a turning point for communities whose livelihoods have long depended on the coal industry. "This is an extraordinary moment for our company, for the notion that the people who built this country, who powered it through their work in the mines for the last hundred years have a place in the new economy," he said.

The company's stated mission, branded as Social Impact Solar, centers on repurposing mined-out lands for large-scale solar arrays while building local workforce pipelines through credentialed skills training and partnerships with community institutions. Edelen described an expansive coalition of partners: "That's why we're partnering with everybody — from local elected officials, chambers of commerce, to our educational institutions, to coal companies, to make sure that this place, Eastern Kentucky and Hazard specifically, have the kind of opportunities that other folks are enjoying."

The Hazard office is not the company's first community investment in the region. Edelen said the company donated money to Martin County to build a community pavilion, and its partners are installing a solar array at a school there. He said Perry County is next in line for similar engagement, though specific project sites, timelines, and dollar figures have not been disclosed publicly.

"We're going to create those kinds of opportunities over the next several years, right here in Hazard and Perry County and surrounding counties," Edelen said. "We are here because we are optimists and we believe in a brighter future. We believe that by engaging with people we can do the big important things to build the partnerships necessary to bring prosperity to the mountains to the people who deserve it."

The Hazard office, which the company describes as a gateway to what it calls "the Queen City of the Mountains," operates Tuesday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is closed Friday through Sunday. The office can be reached at (606) 766-5624. Edelen Renewables describes its project scope as covering land acquisition, public engagement, regulatory navigation, and securing corporate offtake agreements for solar development.

Key details about the Perry County work remain undefined, including which specific sites are targeted for coal-to-solar conversion, how many jobs the Hazard office is expected to generate, and which local educational institutions will anchor the credentialed training programs Edelen referenced. Those specifics will determine whether the company's commitment to the region matches the scale of its ambitions.