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Like numerous other organizations operating inside and outside of North Carolina, the NC Sustainable Energy Association has concerns about the State’s recently-enacted House Bill 2. Our organization values and strives for inclusiveness because it is right; moreover, it is good for business. If recent actions by many across the country are any indication, this legislation…

One-Year Extension for Clean Energy Projects Completed in 2016 Would Generate Up to $3 Billion in Additional Investments Update: As predicted, not all of the renewable energy projects that originally filed for the Safe Harbor provision met the development threshold in the law by March 1, 2016. According to the NC Department of Revenue, of…

THIRD-PARTY SALES: WHAT TO EXPECT by Kurt J. Olson[1] INTRODUCTION “Third-party sales” has become a phrase of art in North Carolina’s energy law.  It generally means the sale of electricity to the “public” for compensation by an entity other than the utility authorized by statute to sell electricity to the public in the designated geographic…

The attacks from those trying to slow the success of clean energy in North Carolina keep coming.  A key policy behind the growth of North Carolina’s clean energy economy, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS) has been singled out time and time again by clean energy opponents. We expect the REPS, a…

Six graphs filed by North Carolina’s investor-owned utilities provide insight into the state of QF interconnection in North Carolina. Below, you will see two graphs for Duke Energy Carolinas (a Q4 2015 snapshot paired with a Q1 2016 snapshot), two graphs for Duke Energy Progress, and two graphs for Dominion North Carolina Power. The clogged (and worsening?) state of North…

NCSEA’s market intelligence team has mapped out the queued capacity and voltage information for individual substations using Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC), Duke Energy Progress (DEP), and Dominion North Carolina Power’s (DNCP) Interconnection Queue Performance Report. Interconnection is the process by which generating resources including solar, wind, biomass, and battery storage tie to the electric grid.…

Today, NCSEA’s regulatory counsel sent a letter officially opposing the NC Department of Environmental Quality’s (“DEQ”) proposed rules to implement the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA”) Clean Power Plan in North Carolina. As stated in the letter, NCSEA opposes the state rules currently proposed by DEQ, citing their failure to: Comply with the Clean Power Plan; Utilize renewable energy…

One-Year Extension for Clean Energy Projects Completed in 2016 Would Generate Up to $3 Billion in Additional Investments Despite broad bi-partisan support, the final state budget passed by the N.C. General Assembly in September did not include an extension of the state renewable energy investment tax credit (REITC), which is scheduled to expire on January…