The kind of energy that human beings use to power their lives is shifting around the globe. Renewable sources of energy are on the rise; the International Energy Agency expects renewable electricity generation to increase by more than a third over the next four years. That’s according to CNBC.
In the last 12 years, Charlotte-based Duke Energy has invested about six billion dollars in wind and solar energy, said company spokesman Randy Wheeless. He identified North Carolina as second in the nation for solar energy.
North Carolina’s incentives for solar energy producers expired in 2015. On this edition of CoastLine, we’ll find out whether and how that has impacted the solar market in the state and what other energy technologies are emerging here.
Last summer, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 589 – An Act To Reform the state’s energy policy and its approach to integration of renewable electricity generation.
Here to take us on a guided tour of emerging alternative energy technologies, some of the built-in challenges, and how this relatively new state law will affect the alternative energy market are two energy experts:
Guests:
Steve Kalland is the Executive Director of North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Centerat NC State University.
Roger Shewis a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences and Environmental Science at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. He worked for Shell Oil for 20 years in the Gulf Coast and regularly gives presentations on wind energy around the Cape Fear region.
Resources:
From NC Clean Energy Technology of NC State:
DSIRE
Financial incentives and regulatory policies are important components of a strong market for renewable energy and energy efficiency. However, the availability of incentives and policies that encourage renewables and energy efficiency varies tremendously across U.S. states and utilities. DSIRE – the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency – serves as the nation’s most comprehensive source of information on financial incentives and policies that promote renewables and energy efficiency at the federal, state, local and utility levels. This public resource, which includes summaries of more than 2,600 incentives and policies, is used by around 180,000 different people each month. Established in 1995, DSIRE is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
