Being #2 on the List of Greenhouse Polluters -- producing 126,750,270 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. annually -- it's about time that the Duke Energy Corporation 'woke up' and smelled the Renewable Grid Parity 'coffee'.
It's only a matter of time before the other toxic offenders, wake up and grab the savings too ... (ie. "renewable" profits) ...
Renewable Energies Expert Talks Solar, Wind Potential
by Jenny Callison, wilmingtonbiz.com -- Sep 25, 2014
[...]
LaSala pointed several tracts off the North Carolina coast that the federal government has identified for possible wind farm leases. He also cited Duke Energy’s recent announcement that it will spend $500 million to develop solar farms in the state, as part of the utility’s effort to meet its renewable energy goals.“Wind [energy development] (sic) will continue to grow in the U.S., even with the expiration of the federal Production Tax Credits as [the industry] (sic) approaches so-called grid parity -- meaning the energy generated by a utility-scale wind farm can compete economically with that generated by new conventional power plants,” LaSala said in a phone interview Wednesday. “While offshore wind farms are more costly to build and maintain, that is where the wind blows most steadily -- without physical interference -- and has the greatest speed.”
Speed is absolutely the most important factor in generating energy from wind, he said. And, in terms of efficiency, the bigger the turbine, the better. In his presentation, LaSala noted that the largest turbines have blades that are as long as a football field.
Solar panels, on the other hand, can be small and even portable, he said
[...]
Who knew, that Duke Energy even had them -- "renewable energy goals"?
Must be some renewable regulations spurring them on, hopefully both at the state and national level. Such 'goals' are a good thing to have ...
Duke Energy plans to help on L.A. wind farm project— but what about Florida?
by Ivan Penn, Times Staff Writer, tampabay.com -- Sept 23, 2014
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.Duke-American Transmission, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, would join three other companies to create the $8 billion project [wind farm and energy storage] that would produce twice as much electricity as the Hoover Dam. The system would power 1.2 million homes in the Los Angeles area by 2023 if federal, state and local regulators approve the project.
[...]Duke also recently announced a $500 million expansion of its solar efforts in North Carolina.
[...]"The evolution of this is . . . a response to the market," Chris Jones, managing director of business development for Duke-American Transmission, said. "Storage and large storage projects can play a key role in integration of renewables."
Jim Heid, a senior vice president of Dresser-Rand, another partner in the wind project, put it this way: "It was kind of an alignment of the planets."
Is it the stars aligning, or the increased public scrutiny and increasingly significant regulatory fines, over their Coal Ash toxic ways?
Let's hope this $8 billion project on the drawing boards at Duke Energy is a tad bit more than a PR stunt.