energy policy

Solar power requires the use of fossil fuels. Solar requires fossil fuel–fired combustion turbines to provide 79% of the load. To the extent manmade GHGs are impacting global warming, then, solar power cannot compete with nuclear power.

Nuclear energy is a clean (zero-emissions), cheap, and abundant energy source. But Gov. Cooper's "Clean Energy Plan" requires a straightforward, categorical rejection of nuclear power.

The ideology and known preferences of the ones providing technical support to Gov. Cooper's "Clean Energy Plan" sadly means we can expect higher energy prices, the loss of productive power plants, and California-style rolling blackouts.

Energy poverty is a serious issue. Research shows that higher energy prices cost lives. The U.S. Energy Information Agency showed in 2018 that one in three families struggled…

This week Bloomberg Energy issued an attention-grabbing report on a serious waste problem with wind turbines: retired turbine blades are clogging up landfills. This problem is only going…

Several questions surround the coal-ash cleanup settlement agreement between Gov. Roy Cooper’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), several “Community Groups,” Duke Energy, and not electricity consumers. The agreement…

Prior to April 2019, Duke Energy had agreed with the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to close and excavate all but nine of its 31 coal-ash basins. DEQ had…

It’s a feature in reporting about solar energy to discuss how dramatically its costs have declined. That tends to be misleading because solar is a completely unreliable resource on its…

A pending major federal rule change could create a positive change for people’s electricity bills. That could be good news, especially for North Carolinians. This fall, the Federal Energy Regulatory…

As applications for wind farms are expected to increase, the debate over the costs and benefits of these facilities will continue.  The debate should be informed by experiences and data…