NC's soon-to-be unveiled Carbon Plan to set goals, guidelines for moving to greener energy sources
A plan set to be released this week will control the future of electric power in North Carolina.
The so-called Carbon Plan is an agreement between state regulators and Duke Energy on how to meet lower emission targets for greenhouse gases.
That plan is expected by Friday.
Governor Roy Cooper and Republican state lawmakers made a historic deal last year to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power generation by 70 percent by 2030 and all the way to carbon neutral by 2050.
They left the details of how to get there up to the state utilities commission.
We’re expecting to see their final decision this week.
Currently, North Carolina is dependent on coal, natural gas and nuclear power for our electricity.
The Carbon plan will set out the rules for Duke Energy for moving to greener energy sources like solar, wind and battery storage.
The plan’s been under development for more than a year. Duke and renewable energy advocates have been squaring off over how much more solar and wind power Duke should be required to add, and how quickly it should have to do that.
As it shuts down its coal fired plants, Duke wants to build more natural gas plants. It says they’re needed for reliable baseload power generation.
Critics say more gas plants are not needed. They say battery storage for wind and solar can serve that need.
The state sustainable energy association filed its own proposal.
Matt Abele with the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association said gas and oil prices have been fluctuating a lot this year, hitting us all in our pocketbooks. Abele said solar isn’t subject to price swings – and it’s the least expensive energy on the market right now.
"A plan that includes a lot more renewables and does so in a way that's resilient and reliable to make sure power stays on at all times, and does so in a way that's cheaper for ratepayers," Abele said. "if you look at all the technologies that are currently out there on the market, solar is the lowest cost of energy right now compared to any other technology out there."
Environmental advocates like Sally Robertson at NC Warn don’t want to see any additional natural gas plants. They say adding more battery storage for renewables could provide that reliable power.
"There's a lot of natural gas on the system already," Robertson said. "It emits less carbon dioxide than coal, but it emits a lot of methane, which is a worse climate pollutant than CO2."
Duke energy declined to be interviewed for this story, but sent WRAL News a statement.
“At the end of the day, we all have the same goal, an efficient clean-energy transition,” said Duke spokesman Bill Norton. “Our focus is on ensuring the transition happens in the most affordable manner possible for our customers, without sacrificing reliability.”
