February 22, 2008

Duke’s Carbon-Constrained Future

Bookmark and Share Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Duke Energy is the nation’s third-largest corporate emitter of carbon dioxide – after American Electric Power and Southern Co. Depending on what controls Congress passes on carbon emissions, that’s a potentially crippling threat for Duke, Forbes reports.

If utilities are required to buy credits for all their CO2 emissions in a government-run auction, instead of being granted credits covering their current output, most experts predict the price will hit around $30 a ton (here are some recent predictions on pricing from New Carbon Finance) – that would raise utility rates by 30 percent in the Carolinas, according to Rogers.

Rogers thinks conservation can take some of the burden off utilities (Duke has a number of plans to increase its use of alternative energy). He’s pushing an old idea that would allow a utility to earn money off the megawatts its customers don’t use. Rogers calls this program Save-A-Watts.  Stephen Smith of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy calls it “the most audacious, overreaching revenue stream I have ever seen,” the article reports.

Bookmark and Share Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Join the Discussion

Get EL Daily in your inbox, subscribe to free newsletter

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

  • 11/06/2009
  • 11/05/2009
  • 11/04/2009

Industry Voices [ see all ]

Greening the Automotive Supply Chain

Greening the Automotive Supply Chain

A Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Partnership

A Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Partnership

Forest Carbon Core to Climate Change Deal

Forest Carbon Core to Climate Change Deal

ARPA-E Deserves Support

ARPA-E Deserves Support

VCS and CarbonFix Tops in Review of Forestry Carbon Standards

VCS and CarbonFix Tops in Review of Forestry Carbon Standards