Recent Success
Across our great state, the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) is creating a sustainable energy economy in NC by partnering with business, government, community-networked organizations, and dynamic citizen leaders to enable NCSEA to provide valuable energy policy analysis, critical market development information and a clear understanding of sustainable energy solutions.
Highlights of NCSEA's past successes show each year NCSEA offers more fun activities, events and useful energy information, combined with thourough policy and market analysis and opportunities to constructively engage your state and local decision-makers on energy issues.
Please get involved in making our energy future more sustainable.
Become an NCSEA member today!
Become an NCSEA member today!
Despite the drought, 2007 is a watershed year for the "new energy economy" in North Carolina!
In 2007, the energy future of North Carolina made a significant turn toward a more sustainable path. Folks across our great State had record participation in NCSEA events, the General Assembly worked with NCSEA to pass our State's most aggressive energy policy in 30 years, and our State made the fourth largest commitment in the nation to use our homegrown renewable energy resources and low-cost energy saving solutions.
At the same time NCSEA was pursuing hallmark legislation, NCSEA also launched a new website and offered online event registration and membership payment for the first time. We quickly learned that people in over 30 countries and 49 U.S. States and Washington, D.C. regularly visit the NCSEA website (does anyone have a friend in South Dakota?).
In 2006 and much of 2007, NCSEA chose to temporarily stop production of the Carolina Sun to focus on organizational growth, educational events, and leading major policy change. We look forward to offering several new ways to for NCSEA members to communicate with us and each other, and learn about sustainable energy solutions starting in the summer of 2008.
2007 Sustainable Energy Sector Market Development
· Workforce Development in Renewable Energy and Efficiency: NCSEA is working with state and local partners to develop an implementation plan for “green collar” job development.
· Bringing new employers & jobs to NC: NCSEA introduced dozens of renewable energy companies to NC by helping draft and pass our Renewable Portfolio Standard Law in August.
· Raising Awareness of Energy Poverty: NCSEA’s research shows our traditional approach to energy is leaving our lowest income citizens behind, paying half their income for energy!
2007 Public Policy - Legislature, Utilities Commission, Local Government
· NC Becomes Energy Policy Leader in Southeast, nationwide: NCSEA worked with the sustainable energy industry, environmental, business and citizen coalitions to negotiate and help pass the 4th most aggressive renewable portfolio standard law in the United States. We are the 6th state to require the use of solar power, solar thermal hot water, and combined heat-and-power!
· 10 Energy Bills Passed Into Law: In 2007, NCSEA collaborated to pass 10 energy bills into law, strengthening NC’s foundation for a new energy economy. Notably, Energy Conservation in State Buildings requiring state buildings to meet high performance standards, Use of Solar Collectors to prevent local ordinances, deed restrictions or covenants from prohibiting the use of solar panels on homes, and S.L. 2007-397, North Carolina Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS).
· Representing your Climate Change and Wind Power concerns: NCSEA Executive Director Ivan Urlaub serves on the Joint Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change and on the NC Climate Action Plan Advisory Group. Online: http://www.ncclimatechange.us/. Senior Associate Paul Quinlan is a leader in the NC Wind Working Group and advising local government in identifying environmentally and economically responsible approaches to wind power development.
· NC Adopts RPS Rules, deliberating removing interconnection, net metering barriers: NCSEA provided expert analysis to the NC Utilities Commission’s rapid RPS rulemaking process and are required by S.L. 2007-397 to greatly improve the process for connecting renewable energy to the grid.
2007 Energy Education & Statewide Outreach
· NC Statewide Green Building & Solar Tour: Now the 4th largest state tour in the U.S., spanning 15 local tours and 50 communities, bringing business and renewable / green building consumers together.
· Green Building Pavilion: NCSEA sponsored the Pavilion for the Southern Ideal Home Shows in Charlotte and Raleigh, educating more than 100,000 North Carolinians, connecting them with many of NC’s most successful sustainable energy companies.
· Internship program: NCSEA continued its growing internship program, working with UNC Chapel Hill, Duke, NC State, and NC Central universities. We strive to partner in providing professional, paid internship opportunities for college and graduate students from across NC.
2007 Energy Publications – read by more than 25,000 North Carolinians in 2007
· A Citizen’s Guide: The North Carolina Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard. So popular, we had to run a second printing!
· 2007 Green Building & Solar Tour: Statewide Tour Book. Sponsored by Cree.
· From the Policy Desk. The leading publication on sustainable energy policy in NC.
· Carolina Sun. NCSEA’s long-standing newsletter, keeping the Tarheel State connected.
· 2007 NC Sustainable Energy Legislative Guide. NC is on the national energy map!
2006 – NCSEA focuses on communities, education and
empowering citizens and business
empowering citizens and business
In 2006, NCSEA welcomed the New Year by promoting Policy Director Ivan Urlaub to the position of Executive & Policy Director of NCSEA. After several years of dedicated service to NCSEA, Mark Ginsberg left to pursue new opportunities to continue his leadership in mitigating global climate change, promoting sustainable energy solutions, and working with the faith community.
We, as NCSEA members, staff and the Board of Directors, faced the welcome challenge of managing rapid growth while successfully promoting renewable energy and energy saving solutions, and elevating our State’s discussion over how to address global climate change.
An unprecedented number of citizens participated in and volunteered for NCSEA events across North Carolina in 2006. We succeeded in passing energy legislation to assist low-income NC families struggling with energy poverty and to make it easier for the private and public sector to work together to save energy and save taxpayer dollars. By the end of the year it was clear, a new NC Sustainable Energy Association had exploded onto the seen in 2006 and is here to stay!
2006 Energy Education & Statewide Outreach
· NC Green Building & Solar Tour: Spanning 12 local tours and 35 communities, NCSEA and our partner communities showcased renewables and green building solutions in the 5th largest tour nationwide!
· Kilowatt Ours Tour: In July, NCSEA was a statewide sponsor of the Kilowatt Ours tour, visiting 6 cities in 7 days, reaching over 1,300 concerned citizens and signing up hundreds with NC GreenPower.
· Internship Program: NCSEA teamed with 4 graduate and 1 undergraduate student interns from UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University and NC Central University.
2006 Public Policy - Legislature, Utilities Commission, Local Government
· Improved Net Metering Rule and Interconnection Standard: In 2006, NCSEA worked with our electric utilities and the Utilities Commission (NCUC) to correct some of the serious flaws in our state’s Net Metering Rule, which is expected to make it easier to “net meter” your renewable energy system. NCSEA also convinced the state to create a standard practice to make it easier for you to “interconnect” your renewable energy system to the electric grid. We have already started working to strengthen net metering and interconnection in 2007!
· Improved understanding of renewables and efficiency resources: NCSEA convinced the NCUC and legislature to study a Renewables and Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS), laying the groundwork for our 2007 collaborative REPS legislative campaign. We also won greater consideration of energy efficiency in the NCUC’s Utility Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) process.
· Elevated Global Climate Change Collaboration: NCSEA Executive Director Ivan Urlaub was appointed to the Joint Legislative Commission on Global Climate Change and serves as a member of the state’s Climate Action Plan Advisory Group. Read the work of these institutions online at: http://www.ncclimatechange.us/
· Passed Water/Utilities Savings in Government Facilities bill: NCSEA helped pass legislation further enabling private Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) to significantly reduce energy and water use in government facilities through performance contracts. NCSEA expects this law to save hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.
· Passed key Energy Usage & Assistance legislation, raising awareness to growing problem of ‘Energy Poverty’: Through our member’s support for S2051, NCSEA worked with legislators to empower the NC Office of Economic Opportunity to better administer low-income energy assistance programs statewide.
2006 Sustainable Energy & Economic Development
· Supporting the economically disadvantaged: NCSEA worked with state lawmakers to expand the authority and strengthen the structure of North Carolina’s low-income energy assistance programs.
· Created economic partnerships: NCSEA greatly expanded our working relationships with green energy businesses and their respective associations to advance energy efficiency and renewables.
· NC Energy Improvement Loan Program (EILP): NCSEA worked to make this valuable lending program more effective, getting capital in the pockets of businesses to become more energy efficient.
2005 – Taking a risk, strong commitment to energy policy brings big results and clarifies roadblocks to sustainable energy
In 2005, NCSEA formally committed to building a robust energy policy practice. In February, Ivan Urlaub joined NCSEA as the non-profit’s first ever Policy Director on staff and immediately began collaborating with members of the NCSEA Policy Committee and other experts to pursue dramatic changes in the regulatory environment of North Carolina.
The multi-year effort of volunteer policy experts and Board Directors Richard Harkrader (Policy Chair), Steve Kalland and countless others culminated in the creation of the first simplified interconnection standard and first net metering rule for North Carolina.
NCSEA’s first guide to energy legislation, the “2005 NC Sustainable Energy Legislative Guide” was read by over 10,000 North Carolinian’s. The North Carolina General Assembly maintained our State’s leadership role in renewable energy incentives by voting to extend the State 35% renewable energy tax credit for five more years through January 1, 2011 and raising the commercial tax credit limit up to $2,500,000 per installation (up from $250,000).
Why were so few North Carolinians taking advantage of
the best renewable energy state tax credits in the country?
the best renewable energy state tax credits in the country?
Historical tax credit claims indicated tax credits would not be enough. Something else - something much bigger than the impact of tax credit extensions and new interconnection and net metering rules - was still preventing the use of renewable energy in our State. Many believed that North Carolina’s electricity rates were too low to make renewable energy attractive. NCSEA research indicated otherwise, as we uncovered numerous barriers in the rules of the NC Utilities Commission and in our State’s laws.
Specifically, North Carolina's electricity regulations motivate electric utilities to earn the highest profit by selling as much electricity as they possibly can. Showing citizens and business owners that it is possible to use renewables and lower our utility bills would go against the business model that North Carolina's laws and regulations inspired the electric Utilities to create.
For years, customers only knew what the Utilities told them, and sustainable energy solutions were not part of the Utilities’ public message or plans filed with the NC Utilities Commission. NCSEA analyzed what the technical, economic and regulatory justification was for excluding renewables and efficiency in favor of 98% coal and nuclear - the Utilities were responding to regulations in their own self-interest, clear and simple.
In late 2005, NCSEA launched our Energy Savings First campaign. It was not difficult to quickly create a coalition of over 20 private and not-for-profit organizations who found good reason for North Carolina to increase the use of money saving energy solutions in homes, small businesses and major corporations across our State. NCSEA’s initial call for letters to the Utilities Commission became a successful, though high cost, multi-year non-profit led energy efficiency effort that continues today.
Prior to launching NCSEA’s collaborative Energy Savings First campaign, NCSEA began researching Renewable Portfolio Standard laws of other states, to assess whether such a mandate would be prudent for North Carolina’s economy and energy future. NCSEA drafted an internal white paper on RPS standard practices. We suspected that our months of research and analysis on the many approaches to state renewable energy law would not pay off for years to come, and while critical, would only be part of an evolving solution.
We found that a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) law is a critical first step and
most economically responsible long-term policy option for reducing the impact of
rising costs for coal, nuclear, natural gas, oil and carbon-risk
on the North Carolina ratepayer and the environment by Year 2020.
most economically responsible long-term policy option for reducing the impact of
rising costs for coal, nuclear, natural gas, oil and carbon-risk
on the North Carolina ratepayer and the environment by Year 2020.
More importantly, we found that our State’s electric utilities had failed to implement very low cost energy saving solutions for many years, instead preparing to seek approval for more costly new coal and nuclear power plants.
The problem with current energy efficiency proposals is they fail to recognize that
North Carolina could be saving not just "watts,"
but several "gigawatts" (1,000,000,000 watts)
at a lower cost than building new coal and nuclear power plants.
but several "gigawatts" (1,000,000,000 watts)
at a lower cost than building new coal and nuclear power plants.
But the current regulatory environment makes it attractive for Utilities to provide minimal efficiency solutions, while maintaining their long-term focus on selling electricity, even if it means higher electricity rates and making efficiency solutions artificially so expensive that we will choose to use energy instead of save it.
By the last week of 2005, NCSEA’s analysis and leadership on energy efficiency and incentives marked the successful beginning of what is shaping up to be a ten to twelve year effort to create a fair regulatory and market environment where consumers can make informed, unobstructed choices to use more renewables and energy saving measures. Especially when a combination of renewables and efficiency present a lower near-term cost to ratepayers than the cost of massive investments in new, more expensive coal, nuclear, oil and natural gas fired power plants to meet our energy needs.
NCSEA looked out at the New Year, eager to see if the seeds we had sown for North Carolina’s New Energy Economy would in fact take root and grow in 2006 and beyond.
