North Carolina Utility Commission Rejects State’s Grid Overhaul

(Raleigh, NC – June 25, 2018) The North Carolina Utilities Commission last week rejected a settlement between environmental groups and Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) to modernize North Carolina’s electricity system by investing in a $2.5 billion, three-year pilot program that would have had significant environmental benefits.
 

The components of the program, which included electric vehicle charging infrastructure, improved customer access to energy use data and new energy storage to enable the use of more renewable energy, were designed to improve grid efficiency, lower emissions and empower people to reduce their energy use. Voltage optimization upgrades alone – which adjust voltage to match people’s precise electricity needs – could have reduced emissions equivalent to taking approximately 30,000 cars off the road and produced energy savings equivalent to the power generated by 35 (2-megawatt) wind turbines that run year-round.
 

“Modernizing North Carolina’s electricity system is essential for the state to remain an engine for growth and innovation in the national clean energy economy. Although the settlement was not approved, the details of the proposed agreement still serve as an important milestone on the road toward a smarter, more interactive grid that will reduce pollution and give customers more control over their energy use.”
 

• Dionne Delli-Gatti, Director, Southeast Clean Energy