Much of the structure of a wind turbine can be reused, but not the massive blades. And figuring out what to do with those will be a huge problem with enormous expenses.
North Carolinians are really stuck because we have the highest rates in the Southeast for QFs, the longest contracts in the Southeast for QFs, fixed rates, and 60 percent of the nation's QFs.
In the ensuing decades, deregulation, open access, a multitude of state and federal incentives for solar and wind power, and the onset of fracking have dramatically changed the energy scene here. Domestic energy resources are plentiful.
Even as solar advocates boasted that solar's costs are plummeting, North Carolina's PURPA terms were locking state ratepayers into a situation where they're forced to buy all solar energy produced at exorbitant costs that go well past the actual production costs. It's a great way to make money, but no way to treat captive consumers of a vital necessity.
Research shows this to be a stark choice: higher energy prices costs lives, and lower energy prices saves lives. Playing politics with energy prices plays with people's lives.
A recent National Bureau of Economic Research working paper shows that higher heating bills costs lives. Keeping energy prices low is doubly important because energy is a basic human need, and as such, anything that raises its costs unnecessarily has a much bigger impact on poor families than on others.
Updating a chart from the 2017 Spotlight report on "The Market Forces Behind North Carolina’s Falling Emissions" with the most recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Listen to politicians, lobbyists, talking heads, editorialists, and activists discuss ways to reform electricity policy in North Carolina. What don't you hear?
