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At NCSEA, we are extremely proud of the fact that North Carolina is ranked second in the nation for total installed solar PV capacity. However, for many North Carolina renters or homeowners who don’t have the necessary sunny sight conditions or the upfront cash, the prospect of “going solar” seems out of reach. Thankfully, over…

As you know, NCSEA is actively engaged in both Duke Energy subsidiaries’ rate cases to pursue issues that matter to our members and further the best interests of North Carolina electric consumers through more clean energy options. (For a recap of the Duke subsidiaries’ rate increase requests, read more on our blog.) NCSEA’s regulatory team and our extended team of…

In late September, Duke Energy announced that it would install two battery energy storage systems in Western North Carolina – a 9-megawatt lithium-ion battery in the City of Asheville and a 4-megawatt lithium-ion battery system in Madison County. These are the first battery storage projects for Duke Energy that are on a wide-scale, opening up…

Last week, the International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled in favor of Suniva and SolarWorld Americas that imported solar equipment has caused injury to the US solar industry. As a result, the ITC is expected to soon recommend to the White House a tariff on foreign-produced solar products. NCSEA is concerned by this decision, as we…

Over the summer, both Duke subsidiaries operating in North Carolina filed applications to increase their retail rates with the North Carolina Utilities Commission. Duke Energy Progress, LLC (“DEP”) filed their application on June 1 in Docket No. E-2, Sub 1142, and Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC (“DEC”) filed theirs on August 25 in Docket No. E-7, Sub 1146. While the applications…

In late June, legislators passed a moratorium on permitting of wind energy projects in NC through Dec. 31, 2018   RALEIGH, NC – In the closing hours of the 2017 legislative session in late June, the NC General Assembly passed House Bill 589, The Competitive Energy Solutions Act for North Carolina, and it was signed into law by Gov. Roy Cooper…

This week, the Department of Energy released their much-anticipated study on grid resiliency and reliability. Unfortunately, the report follows a thesis that the reliable energy future we all want must still rely primarily on traditional, or “baseload”, forms of energy generation such as coal and nuclear. NCSEA shares the concerns of our partner organization, Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), that this…

This morning (August 16th), the Energy Policy Council (EPC) held its inaugural meeting under the Cooper Administration. The council met to consider adopting policies and goals to improve energy infrastructure that will be incorporated into its planning and reporting cycle. NCSEA staff, board members, and members were not only in attendance, but prominent presenters during the…

NCSEA’s Statement: Today, Governor Cooper signed into law House Bill 589, “Competitive Energy Solutions for North Carolina”. Below is a statement by Ivan Urlaub, Executive Director of the NC Sustainable Energy Association: “We applaud Governor Cooper for his thoughtful consideration of this compromise energy legislation over the last four weeks, and again express our appreciation to Rep. John…