Dive Brief:
- Duke Energy is preparing to expand its Green Source Advantage (GSA) program in North Carolina, which will allow large customers to negotiate directly with renewable energy suppliers on price terms.
- Those terms include the purchase of the renewable energy certificates (RECs) from generation facilities and length of contract terms. Participating customers bear the entire cost, which Duke officials said is not subsidized in any way.
- The 350 MW of capacity currently set aside for the University of North Carolina (UNC) system and major military installations will be opened up to all interested customers after three years, broadening the pool of potential customers.
Dive Insight:
Duke's large nonresidential electric customers in North Carolina now have new options for procuring renewable energy, with up to 600 MW initially available.
The 250 MW currently open for subscription includes 160 MW for Duke Energy Carolinas and 90 MW for Duke Energy Progress.
"This is a flexible program that will help [large customers] meet their renewable energy or sustainability goals on their own terms," Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president, said in a statement.
Duke will begin accepting GSA applications on Oct. 1, on a first-come, first-served basis. The North Carolina Utilities Commission approved the program in June — a larger version of a 2015 pilot which included Google and Cisco.
Duke owns and operates 40 solar facilities in North Carolina and says it has invested more than $1 billion in renewable energy in the state. The utility's $62 million solar rebate program for residential, commercial and nonprofit customers in North Carolina helped 3,000 customers go solar in its first two years and will continue for three more.
