Energy Conservation
Renewables
Renewable energy sources are becoming a larger part of the Duke Energy generation mix. As the country’s appetite for energy grows, we are taking an active role in bringing more renewable energy to the market.
- WindWind Wind power is a clean, cost-effective and readily available renewable energy source. Duke Energy has more than 1,000 megawatts of wind energy in commercial operation.
The electricity generated by wind farms is typically fed into the power lines of local utilities, where it is mixed with electricity from other power plants and delivered to customers. Wind is an intermittent source of energy and primarily supplements baseload generation sources such as coal-fired, nuclear and natural gas power plants that can run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. - SolarSolar Solar power complements our other sources of energy, such as nuclear, coal and gas-fired power plants, which meet customers' energy needs when the sun isn't shining. In our six-state service territory, we purchase about 300 megawatts of solar capacity from almost 4,000 solar installations, including 40 megawatts from rooftop solar installations.
- HydroHydro Duke Energy began its operations in the Carolinas as a hydroelectric company. Today, Duke Energy is the second largest investor-owned hydroelectric operator in the U.S. Our hydroelectric power plants in the U.S. provide approximately 3,525 megawatts of renewable energy.
The amount of power that can be created by hydroelectricity is limited by the volume of water held by the dam. In the Carolinas, we use hydroelectric plants to meet peak demands at times when electricity usage is greatest, like hot summer days or cold winter nights. - BiomassBiomass Biopower is renewable energy made from any organic material from plants or animals, including harvested wood and wood waste, animals wastes, agricultural “energy crops” and municipal discards. Advantages of biopower include its ability to dispatch electricity on demand and provide baseload-like capacity, much like fossil-fueled plants.
Duke Energy is employing a variety of strategies to make cost-effective investments in biopower, including testing the co-firing of wood with fossil fuel and purchasing electricity generated from biomass and municipal solid waste.