Duke Energy will buy green energy credits from two North Carolina companies that will use solar power to produce hot water and to heat and cool buildings.
While Duke Energy’s agreements with FLS Energy and Vanir Energy will not produce electricity, the two firms use solar energy, making them eligible for the credits. Such credits, officially called renewable energy certificates, are generated from renewable energy resources and can be used by North Carolina electric utilities to meet requirements under the state Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS).
“These agreements will help us meet our renewable energy goals,” said Owen Smith, Duke Energy’s managing director of renewable energy and carbon strategy.
FLS Energy, located in Asheville, N.C., specialises in developing and financing solar thermal energy systems for organisations and businesses whose facilities require large amounts of hot water. FLS Energy projects that the partnership with Duke Energy will result in the installation of more than 3,000 solar collectors on schools, restaurants, hotels, universities, residential developments, apartments and industrial facilities across North Carolina by 2013.
“This represents one of the most significant partnership efforts in the country to date for the development of solar thermal energy. It will create new jobs and help organisations and businesses across North Carolina access clean, renewable solar energy for their facilities and operations,” said Brownie Newman, FLS Energy director of project financing.
Vanir Energy, LLC, located in Fletcher, N.C., designs, builds and operates solar thermal heating and cooling systems for commercial, industrial and government customers. The Duke-Vanir agreement requires Duke Energy to purchase renewable energy credits generated from the solar thermal heating and air conditioning of Fletcher Business Park in Fletcher, N.C. which utilises a proprietary technology capable of producing solar “air conditioning” through the use of adsorption chillers.
North Carolina’s renewable energy standard requires each public electric utility to meet at least 12.5 per cent of its North Carolina retail customers’ electricity needs through new renewable energy sources or energy-efficiency measures by 2021.
While Duke Energy’s agreements with FLS Energy and Vanir Energy will not produce electricity, the two firms use solar energy, making them eligible for the credits. Such credits, officially called renewable energy certificates, are generated from renewable energy resources and can be used by North Carolina electric utilities to meet requirements under the state Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard (REPS).
“These agreements will help us meet our renewable energy goals,” said Owen Smith, Duke Energy’s managing director of renewable energy and carbon strategy.
FLS Energy, located in Asheville, N.C., specialises in developing and financing solar thermal energy systems for organisations and businesses whose facilities require large amounts of hot water. FLS Energy projects that the partnership with Duke Energy will result in the installation of more than 3,000 solar collectors on schools, restaurants, hotels, universities, residential developments, apartments and industrial facilities across North Carolina by 2013.
“This represents one of the most significant partnership efforts in the country to date for the development of solar thermal energy. It will create new jobs and help organisations and businesses across North Carolina access clean, renewable solar energy for their facilities and operations,” said Brownie Newman, FLS Energy director of project financing.
Vanir Energy, LLC, located in Fletcher, N.C., designs, builds and operates solar thermal heating and cooling systems for commercial, industrial and government customers. The Duke-Vanir agreement requires Duke Energy to purchase renewable energy credits generated from the solar thermal heating and air conditioning of Fletcher Business Park in Fletcher, N.C. which utilises a proprietary technology capable of producing solar “air conditioning” through the use of adsorption chillers.
North Carolina’s renewable energy standard requires each public electric utility to meet at least 12.5 per cent of its North Carolina retail customers’ electricity needs through new renewable energy sources or energy-efficiency measures by 2021.
