Duke Energy moving on solar plant
The Charlotte-based company filed an application with the N.C Utilities Commission for the two-year plan, which the commission would have to approve.
The cost would add about 25 cents to the average monthly N.C. power bill, Duke said. The system would generate more than 16 megawatts, which would provide electricity for the power grid.
In contrast, Duke's coal-fired power unit under construction at its Cliffside facility in the Blue Ridge foothills would produce 800 megawatts. The utility is embracing some renewable energy projects as it prepares for a new state requirement for major utilities to produce 12.5 percent of their power by 2021 from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind.
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“Wave power is really the last missing piece to help us to transition to 100% renewables, ” said Marcus Lehmann, co-founder and CEO of CalWave Power Technologies, one of a number of promising startups focused on building wave energy converters.
But while scientists have long understood…
