Duke Energy proposes two renewable energy plans | Eastern NC Now

    Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal. The author of this post is Theresa Opeka.

    Duke Energy hopes that the North Carolina Utilities Commission will approve two proposed renewable energy plans for businesses and consumers.

    The first is an expansion of its Green Source Advantage program, established in 2017, for businesses. It would allow customers the option of supplementing their power usage with 100% renewable power and pair renewable projects with energy storage.

    According to a press release, up to 4,000 megawatts of capacity will be available under the GSA Choice program, which they say is more than ten times the capacity now available. It will provide customers with an option for having 24/7 clean energy. It will allow large customers to offset their power purchases by securing renewable energy from projects connected to the Duke Energy grid.

    "Many of our large business customers seek renewable power sources and are making decarbonization a long-term part of their business plans," said Lon Huber, Duke Energy's senior vice president, Pricing and Customers Solutions.

    The City of Charlotte, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Duke University are all current customers of the GSA program.

    Other changes to the program include allowing customers to contract for up to 100% of their energy use. Previously, the program's details only allowed for about 30% of total energy use.

    Customers can work directly with Duke Energy or independent developers for their long-term purchase of renewable energy.

    They may also combine energy storage with their project, allowing them to align renewable energy production with their energy load.

    The company is also proposing a new 10-year avoided cost bill credit option in addition to the existing hourly, 2-year, and 5-year options.

    The energy company says the Clean Energy Impact program will feature locally sourced renewable energy certificates (RECs) and offer month-to-month contracts with no long-term commitments to residential customers who can purchase renewable energy to match their energy use at their chosen level. The press release says it will be ideal for renters or customers who aren't able or looking to install solar but would still like to support the local renewable energy industry.

    Reports say the consumer plan will cost more based on the going market rate for a renewable energy certificate.

    Both plans await final approval by the North Carolina Utilities Commission.