The natural gas industry is on a mission to prove it can keep up with the green energy industry, whose price reductions are starting to become a competitive threat to fossil fuels.
Renewable Energy
See a map of renewables in your county or state Senate district.
See solar energy statistics for North Carolina.
Want solar for your home or business? Check out our Tips for Going Solar.
All News Categories
Critics contend Duke Energy’s new community solar plan more costly to customers — Charlotte Business Journal
Solar advocates who objected to Duke Energy Corp.’s initial proposal for a new community solar program don’t like the revised program much better and are calling on regulators to require more changes or reject it. “The revised plan is a significantly worse program than the initial program,” says the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association, contending the new proposal would be much more costly to customers than the original version.
Duke’s Community Solar Program was Designed to Fail, Would Gouge Customers, Should be Ditched — News Release From NC WARN
Duke Energy’s proposed “community solar” proposal would cause participating customers to lose 51 percent of their investment and would take five years to implement. The program is clearly designed to fail and is further proof that the Charlotte-based corporation prefers to stifle and delay – not advance – clean energy.
See coverage in Charlotte Business Journal
Solar & Batteries To Power London’s First ‘Virtual Power Station’ — Clean Technica
UK Power Networks, which supplies electricity to over 8 million homes and businesses across the South East and East of England, as well as the City of London, announced its plan to create a ‘virtual power station’ last week, intending to use solar panels and a fleet of batteries at approximately 40 homes across the London Borough of Barnet.
New York unveils roadmap to 1.5 GW storage by 2025 — Utility Dive
The state is working on establishing a 2030 storage target by the end of the year, as it looks to pair storage with renewable electricity generation to further the state’s clean energy and climate goals. Under Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision strategy, the state is aiming for 50% renewable energy generation by 2030. New York also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030 and 80% by 2050, both compared to 1990 levels.
General Electric’s power unit fights for growth as wind, solar gain — Reuters
The competition from solar and wind, along with abundant low-priced gas produced by fracking, is curbing orders for new plants and forcing the closure of old ones. Some utilities are even filing for bankruptcy. “That means companies are going to have trouble selling new fossil-fuel plants,” said Mark Dyson, a principal at the Rocky Mountain Institute, an organization that researches the power industry.
SC utilities gripe about subsidies. What part of ‘monopoly’ don’t they understand? — The State
As the energy policy frenzy of this legislative session winds down, two terms need a bit more attention: regulated monopoly and subsidy. There is much confusion about the implications of both, but they are fundamental to energy regulation.
Wrangling continues over N.C. law meant to settle solar disputes with Duke Energy–Charlotte Business Journal
Eight months after legislators finally adopted a long fought-over compromise to set out the future of solar and other renewables in North Carolina, it appears alternative energy partisans may get less than they bargained for.
“Competitive Energy” Bill Falls Short of North Carolina’s Needs – News Release from Faith in Solar
An alliance of diverse North Carolina faith leaders today questions Duke Energy and the NC General Assembly for having placed strict limits on solar energy development at precisely the time that dramatic clean energy progress is needed to address the climate crisis. Telling the unvarnished truth about the effect of last year’s energy bill on solar progress in our state, they call for strong and decisive action.
It’s the No. 1 Power Source, but Natural Gas Faces Headwinds — The New York Times
As environmental concerns drive power companies away from using coal, natural gas has emerged as the nation’s No. 1 power source. Plentiful and relatively inexpensive as a result of the nation’s fracking boom, it has been portrayed as a bridge to an era in which alternative energy would take primacy.