Energy experts from across the sector convened at the 2012 FREEDM Industry Summit on Jan. 31 to explore the benefits and challenges of upgrading the country's electric power grid. Panelists at the second day of the FREEDM Systems Center event included utility executives and technology leaders who discussed the consumer value and business opportunities of grid modernization. The two-day event, at the McKimmon Center on NC State University’s campus, also featureda review of the FREEDM Systems Center's research that focuses on integrating renewables energy into a smart grid.

Cutting-edge technology, the retirement of coal plants and increases in renewable energy generation has lead traditional energy providers to consider the most effective ways of enhancing the aging power grid. The experts at day two of the summit addressed issues of power storage, reliability, transmission, interconnection, distribution and metering. Emerging technologies, such as synchronized phasor measurements or synchrophasors, extract value for consumers and service providers by collecting and measuring real-time information. The addition of synchrophasors to electricity substations has the potential to increase the amount of energy that can reliably be transmitted on the high-voltage grid.  

RALEIGH, NC  — The North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) remains opposed to the Duke Energy-Progress Energy merger. Wednesday’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order rejecting the companies’ proposal reinforces NCSEA’s stated concerns.

As electricity rates continue to rise, NCSEA shares FERC’s concern that the merger will inappropriately reduce market competition. NCSEA believes that the companies’ offer of a limited amount of wholesale power into eastern North Carolina does little to reduce the merged company’s market power and is not in the public interest.

 “Over the past 11 years, NCSEA has found that the average residential ratepayer has seen their electric bill rise over 300 dollars per year,” said Ivan Urlaub, NCSEA Executive Director. “In attempting to create the country’s largest monopoly, NCSEA is concerned that Duke and Progress have set the stage for additional rate increases that the two utilities have said they will request. To reduce the amount of future rate increases, NCSEA supports measures that allow for limited market competition and provide ratepayers more options and greater control over their energy bills.”

NCSEA Managing Director Paul Quinlan traveled to Atlanta Thursday, December 8 to speak at two separate energy events.

Quinlan was part of a panel discussion about "Megatrends and Drivers in Southeast Energy Efficiency Policy and Programs" at the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance’s annual membership meeting.  The event was at the Hands On Atlanta Headquarters in Atlanta. Other panelists included Mike Couick, President and CEO of The Electric Co-Operatives of South Carolina and Angela Strickland, Director of Energy Efficiency, Georgia Power. Steve Levitas of Kilpatrick Townsend is the moderator. The Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance promotes energy efficiency for a cleaner environment, a more prosperous economy and a higher quality of life in the Southeastern region of the United States.

He was also part of a panel discussion about success stories for The Southeast Agriculture and Forest Energy Resources (SAFER) Alliance and the 25x’25 Alliance's Southern Bioenergy Networks meeting. The event explored how to build a stronger bioenergy network to promote and develop the bioenergy industry. To see the agenda, click here.

RALEIGH, N.C. – North Carolina continues to recover from one of the longest recessions in our nation’s history – marked by ongoing high unemployment. Retaining jobs and fostering economic development has become a priority for businesses, policymakers and residents across the state. Since the passage of the Southeast’s first renewable energy and energy efficiency law in 2007, the clean energy sectors – broadly categorized as renewable energy and energy efficiency – have burst onto the scene and are found in every region of the state.

North Carolina boasts an international smart grid cluster, two of the 50 fastest growing companies in the nation (both are renewable energy companies), and regional initiatives, including the Evolve Energy Partnership, Charlotte New Energy Capital and the Research Triangle CleanTech Cluster.

These assets are supported by a diverse sector with industry activities across all major focus areas. In only a few short years, the clean energy sector has become a North Carolina success story and a valued component of our state’s economic landscape.

These and other findings are outlined in the 2011 Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Industries Census. The NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSESA) presented the Census during its annual Making Energy Work conference on Wednesday Nov. 9 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

“One of the key findings of the 2011 census is that the clean energy sector in North Carolina is really a statewide sector. While we do find concentrations of specific technologies like Smart Grid in the Research Triangle, we have found that in addition to the major city hubs like Charlotte and Raleigh, there is an ever-increasing physical presence of firms in the clean energy sector in areas like Hickory, Boone and other areas,” said Rich Crowley, Manager of Market Research & Spatial Analysis for the NC Sustainable Energy Association. “It is important to note that this is using a conservative metric – companies are actually reporting these locations. Unlike national surveys that use large top down database approaches, the NCSEA industry clean energy sector maps are locations that companies are verifying in 2011. In short, there is much more certainty and accuracy with the NCSEA maps since it’s coming directly from industry.”

North Carolina ranks ninth in the U.S. for additional installed PV capacity and eleventh for cumulative installed PV capacity, according to the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s U.S. Solar Market Trends 2010 report.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council publishes the report each year. North Carolina ranked above Texas on the 2010 list. California came in first followed by New Jersey, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Florida. All of the top 10 states made the list, the report said, because of their state renewable portfolio or financial incentive programs.

Duke Energy and Progress Energy hurriedly filed amendments to their $26 billion merger with federal regulators on Monday in a bid to get the deal approved by the end of the year. The filings were made possible by the NC Utilities Comission (NCUC), who ruled earlier on Monday that the utilities did not have to wait the standard 30 days to add safeguards requested by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The federal regulators ruled last month that the merger raises significant concerns about market concentration, which should be addressed in order for the merger to be approved.

North Carolina is leading the Southeast in the emerging clean energy economy. Below is a small sampling of what's happening across our state. Click below on each link to learn more about these recent innovations, announcements and advancements.  (And, remember to forward your announcements to amneris@energync.org if you would like your information posted on NCSEA's website and included in our eNews.)

RALEIGH, NC — North Carolina’s leading clean energy conference is just around the corner – space is limited so attendees are encouraged to register today!  The NC Sustainable Energy Association (NCSEA) will hold its annual “Making Energy Work” conference on Wednesday, November 9^th at the Raleigh Convention Center.  The conference is well-known for delivering unparalleled educational content, stimulating discussions and debates, and great networking opportunities for a wide range of attendees including the “novice” to energy industry experts to policymakers – everyone involved with our rapidly-developing clean energy economy.  For more information on the agenda and to register, please visit: http://energync.org/annualmeeting2011.

NCSEA continues to be extensively involved with the proposed merger of Duke Energy and Progress Energy.  As part of our opposition to the merged company that will become the nation's largest utility, NCSEA has outlined several recommendations or stipulations that should be incorporated into a settlement, if approved by regulators.  Below are the latest updates from proceedings before the NC Utilities Commission (NCUC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Have you ever wondered what is causing your electric bill to go up?

Many North Carolinians currently believe our State’s growing use of energy savings solutions and renewable energy are the major cause of their rising electric bills due to inaccurate media stories or other sources.  Through our research into publicly available documents at the NC Utilities Commission, NCSEA has found that since 2000, the average residential customer’s electric bill has steadily risen to pay for the rising cost of coal fuel and new coal and natural gas power plants – not new renewable energy and energy saving solutions.