NC’s carbon plan should be bold about using more renewable energy | Opinion

North Carolinians are about to see a vision of their energy future. It should be full of sunshine, but the outlook is cloudy.

The state Utilities Commission will soon announce a plan to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions related to electricity generation in North Carolina. The question is how hard will the commission push the state’s major utility, Duke Energy, to convert to clean energy?

In the midst of a climate crisis that is happening faster than expected, half-measures and three-quarter measures aren’t acceptable. What’s needed is an all-out effort to reduce the burning of fossil fuels starting now.

The commission is acting in response to last year’s landmark energy legislation. It calls for utilities to reduce their carbon emissions by 70% from 2005 levels by the year 2030 and to achieve carbon neutrality – a balance between emitting carbon and what nature can safely absorb – by the year 2050.

Duke Energy submitted several scenarios for reaching those targets at varying costs. The utility proposes significant increases in its use of solar energy and it plans to close its coal-burning plants, but it also wants to expand power plants fueled by natural gas. The idea is that natural gas will provide a bridge energy source until solar and other forms of clean energy are not advanced enough to meet the state’s maximum energy demands on their own. Duke Energy spokesman Bill Norton said, “Natural gas remains critical for custom reliability.”

There’s a facile appeal to Duke Energy’s proposal, but opponents say using more natural gas will also increase methane leaks from fracking operations and pipelines. They say a plan that commits to more wind and solar power would be better for the climate and ultimately for ratepayers. Jake Duncan of Vote Solar, a national nonprofit that works locally to advance energy justice, told me, “No new gas in the long run – and in the short run – makes sense for North Carolina.”

The International Energy Agency reported last week that solar and wind power will become the largest source of worldwide energy by 2025. That advance has been accelerated by the war in Ukraine, which exposed the risks of depending on fossil fuel providers. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act provides tax incentives through 2032 to expand renewables.

The energy landscape is shifting quickly, and it must, given the effects of climate change that are already upon us. Duke Energy has been slow to adjust to the change. The way rates are set encourages the utility to hold on to power sources and grid designs that have long produced profits for its investors.

The Utilities Commission will try to split the difference between Duke Energy’s incremental adoption of clean every and those who argue that that the transition should be done with urgency. The commission is likely to allow Duke Energy to expand its burning of natural gas, while stressing that the plan will be reevaluated every two years. But ratepayers could end up paying for plants and grid upgrades that prove to be unnecessary and unused.

The sides in this debate are unbalanced. On one side is Duke Energy, on the other are the utility’s business customers, environmentalists, consumer groups and the North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.

“We need to act now to achieve these important energy goals and make sure that North Carolinians benefit economically from a clean energy economy,” Stein said in response to Duke Energy’s proposals. “I urge the Utilities Commission to adopt a stronger, smarter, and more affordable plan.”

Duke Energy has a motive to support its usual fuels and provide its usual return to investors. But this is not the time for business as usual or even modest transitions. The trend toward renewables as cleaner and cheaper sources of energy is inexorable and the need for a rapid transition is undeniable.

The commission must offer a plan that goes all the way – not halfway – to embracing renewable energy in all of its growing promise.