Energy companies in the Tar Heel State that are among the biggest providers of power in the country are leaning hard against renewable energy goals and progress. In case you missed it, the North Carolina Chapter of the Sierra Club provided details last week on its blog:

Utility companies Duke and Progress Energy have mounted stiff opposition to state legislation that would increase their state mandate to provide more solar energy. Specifically, their current solar mandate for 2018 is a meager 0.2% of their entire energy portfolio (a benchmark Duke Energy has already admitted to having met), and many have called for increasing the goal to 0.4%.

On this point, Duke and Progress have been obstinate: they will not commit to doubling their investment in solar power, despite evidence from the NC Sustainable Energy Association predicting that the 1,350 jobs created in the solar industry last year could increase to about 8,350.

Doubling solar from a measly 0.2 percent to 0.4 percent doesn't seem like asking a lot, does it? The article goes on to state that demand for solar in North Carolina is through the roof. Read more about the development here.

-- Brian Foley