Duke Energy Proposes 'Community Solar' and Other Renewables Programs for N.C.

Duke Energy Corp. plans to seek bids for at least two megawatts worth of “community solar” projects in North Carolina this year under proposals filed with regulators to comply with a new state law expanding access to renewable energy options for its utility customers.

Community solar programs involve a central solar project which sells shares to residential or business customers who want to use solar power to offset some of their monthly power use. Charlotte-based Duke (NYSE: DUK) proposes to have subsidiaries Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress each seek competitive bids for a one-megawatt solar project in their respective service areas in North Carolina.

Solar Revolution: New State Law Aims to Make it Easier to go Green in NC

Dan Kessler wanted to save money when he decided to install solar panels on his family’s Gray’s Creek house.

“One of the biggest reasons was because our electric bill was like $200 and some a month,” Kessler said.

“And I look at it as a ‘rent or own.’ If I pay $200 to an electric company, then what do I really see out of it?”

Solar panels mounted on rooftops aren’t a common sight in North Carolina neighborhoods, but that may be changing. The state legislature in July approved a wide-reaching bill that aims to grow the already burgeoning solar industry. In addition to the expansive solar farms in rural counties already generating power for utility companies, this new law is meant to make it easier for homeowners and businesses to install their own panels.

More NC Homeowners Could Have Rooftop Solar Panels With Leasing Deals

North Carolina homeowners and businesses could soon be able to install rooftop solar panels without prohibitive upfront costs under a sweeping energy proposal moving through the state legislature this week.

The bill would let residents lease solar panels on their rooftops rather than owning them outright, a financing arrangement popular in other states but long considered a nonstarter here. The leasing arrangement would remove a major financial barrier to solar energy by eliminating the down payment for homeowners – typically ranging from $10,000 to $20,000.

Bill Would Cut Short NC’s Green-Energy Law

The green-energy mandate that has helped make North Carolina the fourth-largest solar state would be cut short under a bill filed this week by state House leaders.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard, called REPS, was the first in the Southeast when lawmakers adopted it in 2007.

The law says utilities have to generate increasing amounts of energy from the sun, wind and organic wastes, or from energy efficiency. It set an ultimate green-energy target of 12.5 percent of retail sales by 2021.