This commentary critically examines the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan (CEP) through the lens of energy justice, focusing on Robeson County, North Carolina, USA—a region paradoxically leading in solar energy development while remaining one of the state's most economically marginalised areas. Drawing on J. Mijin Cha's Four Pillar Framework for a Just Transition and Karl Polanyi's critique of market liberalism, this commentary argues that renewable energy initiatives in Robeson County replicate historical patterns of dispossession and environmental inequity. Despite rhetoric around equity and sustainability in state climate policy, solar infrastructure currently stands to benefit external actors, disrupt local land use and exacerbate economic and environmental vulnerabilities, particularly among Indigenous and low-income communities. This commentary contends that a truly just transition requires more than green technologies; it demands systemic change rooted in strong governance, local sovereignty, participatory planning and reparative justice. Robeson County exemplifies both the risks of market-driven energy transitions and the possibilities of place-based, equity-centred alternatives.
