Letter: Rethink Energy Policy | Opinion | thepilot.com - The Pilot
Letter: Rethink Energy Policy | Opinion | thepilot.com
In the letter Duke Energy Progress just sent out, it attempts to justify an 18 percent rate increase during the worst economic climate of the past 40 years with six very weak arguments. Three of these deal with modernization, what a sound business does with its profits to lower internal costs, improve efficiency, and expand — no need to raise rates for this.
Another argument is the cost of closure of harmless coal ash basins, a very expensive “solution” to a non-existent problem. A fifth reason is “DEP’s COVID-19 Response,” which has become the catch-all excuse for poor business performance in recent years. Lastly, DEP has the audacity to claim as a reason “improvements to reliability through a balanced portfolio of storage, solar, and other generation projects to continue the clean energy transition.”
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: energy efficiency
The energy price spikes of the 1970s drove consumers, businesses and government to calculate opportunities for energy efficiency — investments, practices, and regulations to avoid some of the energy costs associated with particular products or services. Those calculations ran counter to a lot of engrained practices, and the friction between business and government is a feature of energy and environment policy discussions. Now, energy efficiency decisions — whether involving building practices, appliance efficiency, or vehicle mileage and emissions standards — are a complex mix of government regulation and market behavior.