Research Brief
Energy
Environment
Exploring market-based solutions to the most pressing environmental issues facing North Carolina.
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,”…
Energy
Great news: Duke has decided to stop pursuing offshore wind
An independent evaluation provided to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) on August 11 showed what we at the John Locke Foundation have long argued: Offshore wind is not cost-effective. Because…
Research Brief
Energy
Power up: How a veto override will affect electricity in NC
In a bipartisan vote on July 29, the North Carolina General Assembly passed Senate Bill (SB) 266, “The Power Bill Reduction Act,” over Gov. Josh Stein’s veto. The bill eliminates…
Energy
Less solar, more coal: How Duke kept power on in a heat wave
Early in the morning of June 24, amid a blistering heat wave affecting most of the nation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) granted a request from Duke Energy Carolinas…
Energy
Why a one-scenario study shouldn’t sink the Power Bill Reduction Act
On July 2, Governor Josh Stein vetoed Senate Bill 266, a measure that would loosen 2021’s House Bill 951, which tells North Carolina power companies to cut power-sector carbon dioxide…
Research Brief
Energy
Blackouts: The pain in Spain is mainly renewables’ blame
Shortly after Spain announced it had finally achieved 100 percent renewable power on the grid, the world got a reminder of the importance of baseload, dispatchable power. On April 22,…
Research Brief
Energy
A new way to promote affordable, reliable electricity in NC
The previous brief discussed a revelation before the state Senate Committee on Agriculture, Energy, and the Environment that the Carbon Plan modeling has been unduly weighted to support the plan’s…
Energy
Power Plays: How an Activist Bureaucracy Obstructs NC’s Energy Future, and What to Do About It
From the outset, North Carolina utilities law has required electricity provision to be least-cost and reliable. Consumers have expected nothing less. In recent years, legislators passed the Carbon Plan law…
Research Brief
Energy
Why the Carbon Plan flunked affordability and reliability
In 2021, the General Assembly passed House Bill (HB) 951 to require electricity generation in North Carolina to reach “carbon neutrality” by 2050. This Carbon Plan law also set an…
Research Brief
Agriculture
The Farmers Protection Act: Defending Agriculture from ESG Overreach
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies have rapidly gained traction in the financial sector, influencing investment decisions and regulatory frameworks. For American farmers, however, ESG-driven financial practices have introduced new…
Agriculture
Solar Farms Are Killing NC’s Farmland – Nuclear Can Save It
North Carolina’s current energy policy aims to achieve carbon neutrality through the least cost path that maintains or improves grid reliability. Environmentalists have made it clear that they want the…
Energy
Lighting the Path One Pager