Wednesday, August 16, 2017
A new state law benefits solar energy but also places a moratorium on wind energy. We get an update on that and on other alternative energy projects.
After months of work and compromise by lawmakers and stakeholders, Governor Cooper recently signed into lawsweeping legislation promoting solar energy in North Carolina. Our state has long ranked as one of the top states in the country for solar capacity - we're currently second in the U.S., behind California.
The new law sets up a competitive bidding system for most utility-scale solar projects. It also came with a controversial moratorium on wind energy. The Governor objected to the temporary ban and called the move politically-motivated and issued an executive order supporting wind-powered projects. We’ll get an update on this new law and find out what it means for the future of the state’s energy industry.
We’ll also look south, where a massive $18 billion nuclear project in South Carolina was recently scrapped - what happened there and what the impact could be on the nuclear industry and Charlotte. And an environmental group wants state regulators to reject previously-approved contacts for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in North Carolina. Mike Collins and his guests discuss alternative energies in the Carolinas.
Guests
John Downey - Senior Staff Writer, Charlotte Business Journal
Randy Wheeless - Spokesperson for Duke Energy
David Rogers - Representative for Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign
