Insights

"South Carolina regulators reject Duke's long-term power plant construction plans, call for changes," Utility Dive

Posted On June 22, 2021

In an article published on June 21, 2021 in Utility Dive, Shareholder Taylor Speer praises the South Carolina Public Service Commission’s recent rejection of Duke Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan. Speer represented Vote Solar, a nonprofit solar power advocacy group and one of the intervenors in the regulatory proceedings, calling the commission’s directive a significant win.

"The directive is a strong indication the commission was concerned that the Duke companies did not accurately account for the benefits that solar, storage, demand-side management, and energy efficiency provide to the utilities' system," explains Speer.

The commission's directive calls for a number of changes in how Duke assesses the pricing and competitiveness of solar energy. Speer further explains that the modeling the commission is asking for, in turn, could offer a more realistic, or higher projected price for natural gas, giving a boost to the competitiveness of solar.

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