Being #2 on the List of Greenhouse Polluters -- producing 126,750,270 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. annually -- it's about time that the Duke Energy Corporation 'woke up' and smelled the Renewable Grid Parity 'coffee'.
It's only a matter of time before the other toxic offenders, wake up and grab the savings too ... (ie. "renewable" profits) ...
Renewable Energies Expert Talks Solar, Wind Potential
by Jenny Callison, wilmingtonbiz.com -- Sep 25, 2014
[...]
LaSala pointed several tracts off the North Carolina coast that the federal government has identified for possible wind farm leases. He also cited Duke Energy’s recent announcement that it will spend $500 million to develop solar farms in the state, as part of the utility’s effort to meet its renewable energy goals.
“Wind [energy development] (sic) will continue to grow in the U.S., even with the expiration of the federal Production Tax Credits as [the industry] (sic) approaches so-called grid parity -- meaning the energy generated by a utility-scale wind farm can compete economically with that generated by new conventional power plants,” LaSala said in a phone interview Wednesday. “While offshore wind farms are more costly to build and maintain, that is where the wind blows most steadily -- without physical interference -- and has the greatest speed.”
Speed is absolutely the most important factor in generating energy from wind, he said. And, in terms of efficiency, the bigger the turbine, the better. In his presentation, LaSala noted that the largest turbines have blades that are as long as a football field.
Solar panels, on the other hand, can be small and even portable, he said
[...]
Who knew, that Duke Energy even had them --
"renewable energy goals"?
Must be some renewable regulations spurring them on, hopefully both at the state and national level. Such 'goals' are a good thing to have ...
Duke Energy plans to help on L.A. wind farm project — but what about Florida?
by Ivan Penn, Times Staff Writer, tampabay.com -- Sept 23, 2014
Duke-American Transmission, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, would join three other companies to create the $8 billion project [wind farm and energy storage] that would produce twice as much electricity as the Hoover Dam. The system would power 1.2 million homes in the Los Angeles area by 2023 if federal, state and local regulators approve the project.
[...]
Duke also recently announced a $500 million expansion of its solar efforts in North Carolina.
[...]
"The evolution of this is . . . a response to the market," Chris Jones, managing director of business development for Duke-American Transmission, said. "Storage and large storage projects can play a key role in integration of renewables."
Jim Heid, a senior vice president of Dresser-Rand, another partner in the wind project, put it this way: "It was kind of an alignment of the planets."
Is it
the stars aligning, or the increased public scrutiny and increasingly significant regulatory fines, over their
Coal Ash toxic ways?
Let's hope this $8 billion project on the drawing boards at Duke Energy is a tad bit more than a PR stunt.
"Grid Parity" is one of those fancy Econ-400 words -- for becoming "competitive."
Renewable Energy has been, or is rapidly becoming "competitive" with the traditional cost of energy you get from the Grid (ie. from your wall-socket.)
This 'transition' (aka. economic evolution) is happening as a matter of course in many places around the world. In other words, simple 'competitive market forces' are driving it ...
Wholesale Solar Grid Parity Chart
cleantechnica.com -- Sep 10, 2014
Retail parity -- known as socket parity -- for rooftop solar is a reality in many countries, including Australia. What has been a bigger challenge for the solar industry is to attain wholesale parity -- where the cost of solar farms can compete with the prevailing wholesale price of electricity.
[...]
The study by research firm Eclareon find that Chile -- with high electricity prices and excellent solar resources -- is already at grid parity, which explains why it is one of the hottest markets for large-scale solar at the moment.
[...]
Interestingly, the research is sponsored by the Copper Institute. In Chile, copper mines are particularly interested in solar to reduce the high cost of diesel of grid-sourced power in that country. Last week, the largest copper company signed a deal to take the output from a 70MW solar plant to be built in that country by SunEdison.
The study notes that Morocco, Italy and Mexico are also, or have been close recently to grid parity.
And considering those traditional costs of energy -- fueled by Coal, Oil, Diesel, and Natural Gas -- have no where to go --
but UP;
Making the switch to 'more affordable' sources of power -- only makes sense -- dollars and cents (to use another Econ 101 term).
At grid parity
by Charles W. Thurston, Markets & Trends, pv-magazine.com -- 09/2012
Chile: The Chilean Congress is poised to double the current national renewable portfolio requirement to 20% by 2025. Solar development in Chile is mainly driven by mining companies and other industrial investors seeking to mitigate rising power costs.
[...]
With Comisión Nacional de Energía (CNE) plans to increase the national generation capacity by nearly 50% by 2020 -- adding 7,000 MW of power -- Chile is wide open to renewable project proposals. Indeed, the Chilean Congress is poised to double the current national renewable portfolio requirement to 20% by 2025, if not sooner.
While free market-oriented Chile is not likely to institute a feed-in-tariff [Solar Surcharge] to support solar development in the country, independent power producers stand to profit from power purchase agreements with mining companies and other industrial investors seeking to mitigate rising power costs. [...]
Chile’s first utility-scale solar PV power plant on June 13, 2012. The 1 MW Calama Solar 3 plant was developed by Solarpack for Codelco’s Chuquicamata mine.
If the Chilean Congress can do it --
leverage the virtually free power of the solar and wind -- then what are we waiting for in the U.S.
-- a NEW Democratic-led Congress, perhaps?
Or maybe, for the other Toxic Offenders on the List to wake up and smell the Renewable Coffee, too?
... for them to have the economic realization:
That "market forces" will ultimately demand this of them, even here in the good ole U.S.A. That they had better 'make hay, while the Sun shines' ... too? Just like Duke.