Clean Energy Week, Sept. 23-27, is an opportunity to highlight industries and innovations that power the lives of millions while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions and advancing the growth of renewable energy resources and new technologies.
North Carolina’s electric cooperatives are striking this balance, working toward a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a vision – called Brighter Future – shared across all 26 cooperatives and their statewide organizations. This goal is accompanied by a commitment to cooperative members and communities to continue to provide the reliable, affordable electricity they count on each day.
By supplying power through sources like emissions-free nuclear generation and increasingly integrating renewables into an already diverse array of power sources, electric cooperative members benefit from the lowest carbon electricity in the Southeast.
Let’s take a look at the resources helping the cooperatives reach that goal.
Emissions-free nuclear generation
More than half the power delivered to co-op members in North Carolina comes from nuclear generation, an extremely reliable, safe and affordable source of electricity.
“Our early investment in nuclear power is at the center of our low-carbon portfolio,” said Jimmy Wilkins, vice president of energy portfolio at North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “It’s what allows us to balance low-carbon goals with reliability and affordability.”
Nuclear power will play a critical role for decades as it is the workhorse of the co-op generation fleet, providing steady, “baseload” power at a low cost and with zero emissions.
Renewable energy sources
Collectively, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have 600 megawatts (MW) of renewable, distributed energy and edge-of-grid resources connected to their systems.
In 2022, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives added 13 “solar + storage” sites in cooperative service territories that combine utility-scale solar with battery storage. By coupling these technologies together, solar energy becomes a more flexible resource, allowing stored solar energy to be used when it’s needed. This makes the grid more efficient and provides the greatest benefit to cooperative members.
In addition to expanding sustainability, these resources are strategically located in areas to improve grid resilience and reliability to local communities. In total, the 13 projects generate more than 23 MW with the ability to power more than 23,000 homes at peak output.
North Carolina co-ops were also the first utilities in the state to implement community solar programs back in 2014. To date, co-ops have installed 20 community solar farms across the state, offering members a low-cost, low-risk way to benefit from solar technology.
Together with their statewide organizations, North Carolina’ electric cooperatives are coordinating thousands of resources —including community solar, microgrids, energy storage, and even smart thermostats and water heaters — to maximize the benefits they provide.
“We have mechanisms in place to coordinate and dispatch energy resources, including renewables and battery storage, distributed across cooperative grids,” said Lee Ragsdale, senior vice president of energy delivery at North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives. “Coordinating these newer resources with traditional sources of generation improves the efficiency of the electric grid for the benefit of co-op members and communities.”
Building a Brighter Future
As we recognize Clean Energy Week, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives remain committed to reaching a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and doing so at a pace that protects the reliability and affordability of electricity for co-op members.
To learn more about how we are powering the lives of more than 2.5 million North Carolinians, visit our power page.