Environmental Leader

Duke Energy Corp. has announced energy- and water-saving projects at 13 of its largest facilities, the Business Journal of the Greater Triad Area reports.

The move is expected to save Duke 4.8 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, or about 3 percent of the company’s annual consumption of 145 kilowatt hours. The energy program is also expected to reduce Duke’s CO2 emissions by 4,800 tons per year.

Duke expects to recoup costs for the project within four years.

The energy programs include more efficient lighting, cooling systems and boilers at Duke’s offices and operation centers in Charlotte, Greensboro, Cincinnati, Greenville, S.C., and Plainfield, Ind.

In its last sustainability report, Duke outlined a possible scenario that would enable it to cut its 2006 CO2 emissions in half – by approximately 50 million tons – by 2030.

The company recently caved to criticism and cut its $100 million distributed solar rooftop program in half after the company was criticized by companies such as Wal-Mart as being “unfair.”

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