Repeal of the REPS will hurt North Carolina

UPDATE: A proposal to end North Carolina’s renewable energy program was defeated by a surprisingly wide margin on Wednesday, April 24 in a legislative committee chaired by the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Mike Hager (R-Rutherford). Those opposing the proposal cited concerns that it would hurt businesses and job creation in the state’s fast-growing clean energy industry. [...]

Duck River EMC Offers You a Piece of the Sun

Do you want to invest in solar, but you can’t? Maybe your roof doesn’t point south, or it’s shaded most of the time. Maybe you rent. Maybe you just can’t come up with the up-front cost of a solar system. Well, if your local distributor is Duck River EMC, all those problems are solved! Duck [...]

Empowering All Voices for Energy Equity

This post is being reposted from a blog written by SACE staff, Seandra Pope and Amelia Shenstone, for the Partnership for Southern Equity originally published on their website on February 27, 2013. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is excited to collaborate with the Partnership for Southern Equity to highlight the important role that energy consumption and [...]

Rural Energy for America Program grant applications due April 30!

REAP grant applications are due April 30!

State Legislature paying attention to Florida nuclear tax

On March 18th, I attended the Florida State Senate’s workshop on nuclear cost recovery, also known as Florida’s “nuclear tax,” where industry advocates and the big power companies extolled the many virtues of nuclear energy for the Sunshine State, with nary a mention of the skyrocketing costs of the proposed new reactor projects nor the problems [...]

How does Southern Company sell more electricity?

With energy efficiency, of course! A couple of weeks ago, we showed you how Southern Company “squirrels” the energy efficiency debate. One of our fantastic readers sent us an ad from the New Yorker, in which Southern Company tries to persuade its customers in New York City that it is promoting energy efficiency by selling [...]

Tour with a Twist: What is Ripe to Retire in Georgia and Alabama?

Last week I had the privilege of accompanying experts from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) on a three-day tour of Georgia and Alabama to highlight coal plants that should be considered for retirement. UCS is a national, science-based non-profit that advocates for policy decisions that are based on credible research. UCS’s report, Ripe for [...]

What Is a Watt, Really?

Clean Energy. We’re all for it. In fact we’re the Southern Alliance for it. But what is it? I’m not talking about the “clean” part. That one word deserves its own essay. I’m talking about the “energy” part. We all have some idea about what energy is. We all pay utility bills. What we’re paying [...]

2012 Utility Efficiency Savings Goals Met by TVA, Georgia Power and Duke Energy

The Southeast utilities are starting to step up their game in energy efficiency. I am pleased to report that three of the major utilities here in the Southeast not only met their 2012 energy efficiency goals, they exceeded them by 2-22%! The idea of energy efficiency goals in the South was just a glimmer in [...]

Scathing report finds Alabama PSC failing to protect ratepayers

A new report from the Arise Citizens’ Policy Project released March 1, “Public Utility Regulation Without the Public: The Alabama Public Service Commission and Alabama Power” [PDF] details ways Alabama’s utility regulatory system leaves customers paying some of the highest bills in the country and Alabama Power profiting far more than other utilities nationwide. According [...]