Melissa Williams, melissa.williams@sierraclub.org
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sierra Club and allies have entered into an agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas that will remove barriers to clean energy, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and bring a $25 million investment in electric vehicle infrastructure that is unprecedented in the Southeast.
Sierra Club, the N.C. Sustainable Energy Association and the Environmental Defense Fund, have entered into a Settlement Agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas on the utility’s Power/Forward Grid Modernization Plan after several months of negotiations.
The agreement, in part, ensures that Duke will: provide rebates of $750 to about 1,500 residential customers ($4 million total) to install Level 2 charging stations; install, own and operate 275 Level 2 charging stations at multi-dwelling buildings ($4 million total), with 15 percent of the charging stations installed in low-income communities; provide a $75,000 incentive for 45 electric transit buses and associated charging infrastructure ($3.4 million total), with priority for communities with lower air quality; and install, own and operate 60 public-access fast charging stations (up to $7.7 million total), with two chargers per site installed at 30-50 mile increments on highway corridors, and 10 percent of the stations in low-income communities.
In addition, Duke will deploy 200MW of battery storage projects by 2023 and an additional 100MW by 2026. These storage projects can cover peak hours when extra capacity is needed, particularly during winter mornings when energy demand usually rises.
Robust battery storage to meet peak demand can remove justifications for making customers foot the bill for expensive new fracked gas plants, and also shield ratepayers from the volatile fossil fuels market.
In response to the agreement, Dave Rogers, representative for the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign, released the following statement:
“Investments in clean energy technologies will not only protect our environment, but will save money for families and businesses over the long term. Fossil fuels are finite, expensive, dirty and dangerous, and we’ll use this settlement as a springboard to keep pushing Duke for even more investments in smart, clean, renewable technologies that benefit communities, as well as their bottom line.
“This commitment to electrifying our cars and buses means cleaner air across North Carolina, and puts us a step closer to fully protecting the most vulnerable among us from the pollution caused by gas and diesel powered vehicles.
“And with every new unit of energy storage brought online, we poke more holes into the fallacy that clean energy isn’t reliable and resilient. Making the transition to 100 percent clean energy is not only possible, but inevitable.
“Solar and wind power, backed up by robust storage and energy efficiency, saves money, mitigates the devastating effects of climate change, and protects our air, water and communities.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.