Hundreds of North Carolina residents, business owners, legislators and clean energy advocates attended NC Sustainable Energy Association's Energy Choices Now Roadshow across the state. On select dates in April and May 2012, NCSEA staff members and volunteers visited every region of North Carolina to bring energy consumers up-to-speed on renewable energy and energy efficiency activity specific to their areas.
Experts on staff at NCSEA are often asked to discuss renewable energy and energy efficiency topics at a variety of events across North Carolin and the nation. The following is a roundup of our team members latest engagements.
Chatham Olive is VP of Business Development & Community Relations for Argand Energy Solutions. He is a longtime NCSEA member and a well-known advocate for clean energy who often rides the roads of NC on his motorcycle or in his car licensed, Solarup!
NCSEA's Communications & Government Affairs Specialist, Amneris Solano, spoke with Olive about Argand's install of a 68-kilowatt solar system for the city of Concord. Argand partnered with the city of Concord and Hyperion Energy LLC on the project.
NCSEA: How was Argand Energy Solutions able to partner with the city of Concord and Hyperion Energy on this project?
Olive: Argand was the winner of Concord’s RFP on this project. They had received a State Energy Office grant and were seeking a qualified, solar development/installation firm that could accomplish the project and obtain an investor who would match the state grant. Argand structured the financing, sourced Hyperion Energy to invest, then wrote a winning proposal as a response to the RFP.
NCSEA: What was Argand’s role in the project?
Olive: In addition to designing and installing the system, Argand provided a solution for getting the City of Concord twice as much solar as would have been possible with their grant money alone.
NCSEA: What are the benefits of this project?
Olive: It’s a great side benefit that the solar canopies provide shade for cars parked underneath but I think the main benefits are clean energy flowing into the Concord grid, a good return for our investor, jobs for our employees and suppliers, and a highly visible project that helps show those who see it the reality of solar energy happening now all across NC, the USA, and the world.
NCSEA: What are the energy savings? Cost savings?
Olive: All energy is sold onto the grid. The City of Concord, was able to benefit from cost savings brought on by the recent steep decline in the cost of solar modules, be they foreign made or American made like those used on the Concord project.
Show Your Support for Electricity Independence!
NC Legislators will hold the first meeting of the House Third Party Sale of Electricity Committee at 2 p.m. on Jan. 25 in Room 421 of the Legislative Office Building in Raleigh. Click here to learn more about this committee and its membership. If you support clean energy, you are encouraged to attend.
Over the last year, NCSEA has advocated for legislation that would allow consumers and businesses across our state to purchase renewable energy power - like solar, wind or hog waste to energy - directly from a clean energy company. The project would be privately financed by a renewable energy company, which would sell the power directly to the customer at a competitive, stable electricity rate, locked in for up to 20 years into the future. (Current proposal under consideration - The clean energy project size could be limited to 2 megawatts or up to 120 percent of the customer's annual peak load. The project would be located on the customer’s property.)
The House Third Party Sale of Electricity Committee will examine these and other issues in the coming months and can make recommendations for legislative action by the full General Assembly during the short session, which begins in May.
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.
NCSEA filed a brief Nov. 28 at the NC Utilities Commission underscoring its opposition to the Duke Energy-Progress Energy merger in the absence of several important modifications to the final agreement. This is the latest action by NCSEA, which has been involved in the merger docket before the Commission.
Specifically, NCSEA requested that if the merger is approved by the Commission, the utilities should:
NC Sustainable Energy Association staff members Paul Quinlan and Rich Crowley appeared on "OPEN/net," a statewide TV call-in program that facilitates conservations between viewers and policy makers and experts. Joining them on the panel were Maria Kingery, co-Founder and President of Southern Energy Management (also Chair of NCSEA's Board of Directors) and Brad Luyster, the Vice President and Director of ABB's new "Smart Grid Center of Excellence," which opened earlier this month.
The show, which aired live, Tuesday, November 29 at 8 p.m., focused on North Carolina's growing clean energy economy. Click here to view an archived copy of the show.
Computer monitors require more power to display a light screen than a dark screen. NCSEA has chosen to use a dark background on our website to help your computer conserve energy.