State regulators set standards for renewable energy sources (NC RPS)

[jpak]

http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A41148

You have to appreciate the serendipity: On the heels of Duke Energy's announcement that it will cost $3 billion—not $2 billion, as originally projected—to build its two proposed coal-fired power plants, the state is unveiling its renewable energy study.

Under direction from the state Environmental Review Commission, the N.C. Utilities Commission sponsored a study to analyze the costs and benefits of a Renewable Portfolio Standard. If adopted by the legislature, an RPS would require the state's three investor-owned utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable sources by a given date.

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According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 23 states and the District of Columbia have a Renewable Portfolio Standard, although if North Carolina adopted one, it would be the first southeastern state to do so.

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Economically, the N.C. State Energy Office estimates renewables could create 3,000 jobs, while decreasing the $15 billion the state spends to import energy.

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