Duke Energy Carolinas reached a settlement with stakeholders on a revised energy efficiency plan that will add programs for multifamily housing and commercial customers.
The agreement with the Environmental Defense Fund and the North Carolina Utilities Commission’s consumer advocates includes a $400,000 bonus if the company increases energy savings by more than 1% in any year.
Under the old program, Duke recovered the costs of the energy savings program as though they were an investment in a power plant. The new plan will use a shared-savings mechanism similar to that used by Dominion North Carolina Power and Duke Energy Progress.
The new offerings will be available in January if the commission, which held a hearing on the proposal Aug. 19, approves.
More: The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Business Journal
Duke Energy Purchases San Francisco Solar Plant
Duke Energy Renewables has acquired the 4.5 MW Sunset Reservoir Solar Power Project from developer Recurrent Energy. The system’s almost 24,000 solar panels, mounted above the Sunset Reservoir, provides power for municipal facilities through a 25-year power purchase agreement with the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC).
More: Renewable Energy Focus
NRC Meets with Duke on Nuclear Plant Incident
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission met with Duke Energy Aug. 19 to discuss an October 2012 incident in which the failure of radiator fan belts caused a shutdown of the Robinson nuclear plant’s shutdown diesel generator.
An NRC spokesman said the poorly maintained fan belts could have meant the generator was not available during a loss of offsite power at the plant in Hartsville, S.C. The agency said it will announce any penalties over the incident at a later time.
More: Associated Press
Damage Suit Reinstated vs. NRG Coal Plant
NRG Energy Inc. must defend a lawsuit claiming that ash and contaminants from its coal-fired power plant in Springdale, Pa., damaged nearby properties, an appeals court ruled. The U.S. Appeals Court in Philadelphia reversed a lower-court decision dismissing the suit, rejecting NRG’s claims that the federal Clean Air Act pre-empts state law claims by property owners.
The residents claim that odors produced by the plant, 18 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, made them “prisoners in their own homes” while ash and unburned byproducts settled on their properties.
More: Bloomberg
Covanta Acquires NJ Waste to Energy Plant
Covanta Holding Corp. announced Aug. 19 it has purchased a 21 MW waste to energy plant in Camden, N.J. from a subsidiary of Foster Wheeler AG. The acquisition increased Covanta’s holdings in PJM to 15 generators totaling about 569 MW.
More: Covanta Holding Corp.
