Research Brief
Energy
Environment
Exploring market-based solutions to the most pressing environmental issues facing North Carolina.
Research Brief
Energy
How obscuring solar power’s full cost subverts state law
The previous brief in this series discussed the well-known fact that solar power cannot be added to the electrical grid without backup generation. It then noted that, despite that fact, the North…
Research Brief
Energy
Solar’s cost should reflect its need for backup generation
Imagine a car without an engine. It doesn’t need expensive gasoline. It can reach fairly high speeds — if it’s going down a steep and long enough grade. Now imagine…
Energy
Fuel price is no reason to pick renewables over natural gas
For years, the John Locke Foundation’s Center for Food, Power, and Life has been warning of electricity price hikes in the wake of the 2021 passage of the Carbon Plan…
Research Brief
Energy
Warm homes in a cold emergency? Thank nuclear, coal, and gas
On Feb. 1, citing expected “[e]xtremely cold temperatures,” Duke Energy sent an alert to its customers requesting that they “voluntarily reduce their energy use from 4–10 a.m. on Monday, Feb.…
Research Brief
Energy
Offshore wind: known and speculative national security risks
Citing national security risks, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced on Dec. 22, 2025, that it was pausing the leases “for all large-scale offshore wind projects under construction in the…
Energy
Fact-checking a “fact check” on solar and wind energy
On Sept. 5, 2025, the U.S. Energy Department’s official X account posted an Aug. 23, 2025, Washington Examiner article featuring Energy Secretary Chris Wright. The accompanying text in the post…
Energy
Duke rate hikes: The lingering effects of bad policy choices
On Nov. 20, Duke Energy announced that it had requested rate increases from the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) of 15.0 percent for Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) customers and 15.1…
Research Brief
Energy
MVP Southgate gets a key state permit after years of denials
After years of denials and delays, on Nov. 13 the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) Southgate project finally received 401 Water Quality Certification (WCQ) from the North Carolina Department of Environmental…
Energy
Examining the ‘too good to be true’ boasts of solar and wind
Center of the American Experiment recently posted a short (2:40) video, “Wind & Solar: Too good to be true?” (see below for the embedded video). The video is based on…
Research Brief
Energy
Duke plan confirms greater productivity of nuclear, natural gas
Duke Energy’s latest Carolinas Resource Plan filing with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) provides a glimpse into the productivity expected from the different sources of electricity it plans to…
Research Brief
Energy
More reliability coming for North Carolina power consumers
On Oct. 1, Duke Energy Carolinas and Duke Energy Progress (jointly, Duke) made its latest filing of the Carolinas Resource Plan with the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC). The Carbon…
Research Brief
Energy
Feds predict major blackout risk from switch to renewables
America’s power grids are increasingly at risk, hobbled by power plant closings, unreliable and insufficient replacements, and increased demand for new power. “If these shadows remain unaltered by the future,”…